Moronic Department of Cupids
by linux-Ginny
Summary: Marriage Law Fic with a twist. Will Hermione survive in the new high society? Why is Percy doing this?
1. Chapter 1

**For convenience's sake, the batch of Harry graduated in 2009 summer. The battle was in 2008.**

**This is a new story i am working on. The updates will not be frequent, because i shall write only when inspiration strikes.**

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K.R.**

**XXOO**

**linux-Ginny**

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The Minister of the Moronic Department of Cupids

_November 1__st__ 2010, _

All it took was a letter from the Ministry's new Department of Muggle Relations to send Hermione into a fury like a woman possessed. Her perfect day was completely and utterly _ruined _because her ex boyfriend's idiot brother had decided to take matrimonial matters into his own hands. Literally.

Her day had been going rather smoothly for a Lawyer at Wizengamot, with her wrapping up a rather tricky case of divorce and then having a long lunch with Ginny and Lavender. The day ended with her working out in her private gym when a rather smart and stuck up (looking very much like the Ministry officials) owl turned up at her window.

A quick scan of the letter made her do a double take, for she was used to pranks, courtesy George and Fred of course. She tried a tracking charm, just to be sure of it's point of origin and writer. After all hope failed, she re-read the letter one last time just to sure. And then, the nearby China Vase belonging to the Ming dynasty shattered.

_Dear Ms. Granger,_

_As per the __Muggle Protection Act 1869, Clause 400A Amendment 789__, the Ministry shall be assigning spouses to the newly graduated batch of Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, effective immediately. Attested is a schedule wherein you can choose your convenient time with the therapist. _

_ Sessions with the therapist shall help determine your better half in a process to ensure a bright and happy future for you both. This is merely one step in a long drawn process, which shall comprise of various stages that you shall be informed of in later messages._

_ Once the process shall be completed, you shall be assigned your life partner with whom you shall be married to within a year's time. Please note that this marriage shall not be annulled under any circumstances, barring death or disappearance of the partner An heir will have to be produced within the first 4 years and registered with the Ministry. _

_ Need for financial aid to fund the wedding and future home of the family in any manner possible will be entertained by the Ministry, should the reasons stated be deemed as fair and needful. _

_ Failure to turn up at these sessions shall result in immediate penalty, which shall be determined after deliberation with the Head of Muggle Relations, Mr. Percy Ignatius Weasley._

_Looking forward to seeing a better future for you,_

_Mr. Percy Ignatius Weasley_

_Head of Department_

_Ministry of Magic Department for Muggle Relations_

Hermione stormed into the Burrow immediately, not least bothered that she was sweaty and dressed only in a sports bra and shorts. She ignored Mrs.' Weasley's greetings and Fred and George's cat calls and barged into Percy's study, waving a fist at him.

"Give me ONE good reason why I shouldn't HEX your BALLS into the 3 Century B.C.! Go on, I'm all EARS," she shouted, pointing a wand at his nose.

"For one thing, it would be felony to hex a MINISTER. I believe the punishment is rather ghastly; 15 years in Azkaban if I'm not wrong. For the other, Penny would KILL you, assuming you wouldn't have died in Azkaban already. And finally, you haven't got the balls to do such a thing," he replied, feeling incredibly smug.

He _knew_ this would happen the minute the letters had been sent out and he had anticipated Hermione to be the first to show up. He had been _itching_ for an argument against this. And fighting with Hermione would help him face the public tomorrow, since she would be ahead of everyone else.

"I am _so_ ready to take that risk. How could you? This is a free society for god's sakes! You can't impose anything on anyone! By introducing this, your breaking a dozen Muggle laws, not to mention a number of Wizarding laws as well!" she said, her hands shaking in distress.

"Last I checked, I wasn't imposing anything on anyone. The process would only help accelerate the finding of a soul mate. And the process is complicated and long; I ensured that all bases were covered. So how would it be breaking anything if you were merely nudged into the right direction? It will be for your own good," he calmly replied. Hermione snorted at that.

"What? So you are now playing the cupid? What does this have to do with your department anyway? Are you the Head of the Moronic Ministry of Cupids too now?" she glowered.

"You shall soon find out," he replied calmly, again. But inside, he was stirring like a kid before Christmas. His plans will save the World!

* * *

_Same day,_

Draco Malfoy was having a relatively better day, key word being _relatively_ here. His work at the Malfoy Orphanage Rehabilitation centre in New Orleans was going splendidly, and the work progress for the Malfoy Tower hotel in Germany, France and New York was bang on target.

He apparated to his penthouse in London tired after a long day's work and sat down in front of the fire with a bottle of beer, skimming through the mail. His saintly mother had been dying for a visit recently, and his father was still annoyed at him moving out. ("Malfoy's stick together son. That's now it has always been. Do you think yourself to be a better person to defy 700 years of tradition?") Pansy had been whining about something. Typical evening.

As he retired to bed at around 1:30 am, he heard a sharp tap on his window. Irritated at being disturbed at this hour, he picked up his wand to weave around another privacy charm when he noticed the source. Waving his wand, his window opened and the owl swooped in to deliver the letter before flying away.

Sighing, he wondered elatedly who in their right minds would be owling him at this hour. At first he thought he'd read it later. But then the Ministry seal made him change his mind. What did they want now? Another office building? For god's sake—

The window shattered, causing his door man to wake up from his sleep. Precisely at that moment, Blaise Zabini apparated into his apartment, positively livid.

* * *

_November 2nd, 2010_

By next morning, the letters to the Hogwarts batch had created a buzz in the wizarding Britain. The Daily Prophet was full of reports and opinions on the matter, with some calling Percy a 'messiah of love' and others calling him 'a lunatic harbinger of emotional destruction'.

Hermione had stomped into her office, summoning a dozen books on the various laws of the wizarding world, dating back to the 5th Century. She then shut herself in her office and poured over each book like a hungry hyena, waiting to prey on anything that would fill her up. She searched through everything, even looking into Rowland's Ridiculous Laws to find anything, _anything_ to fight this monstrosity that Percy had unleashed. She was running out of time; tonight, Percy would have his Amendment read and enforced by the Ministry senate.

She knew she was late when she heard the announcement through the speakers about a new enforcement. She sat down numbly between her pool of books. For the first time in years, she began to cry because of complete and utter hopelessness.

* * *

_Same day,_

"I shall sue him! That bloody son of a hokey! I'll kill him!" roared Draco. He had been fuming all night, unable to sleep. Right now, he was taking out his frustration on his parents, who didn't know whether to be horrified at this display of anger or to be amused at their sons' choice of words.

"Honey, what you say will not change this. You have to think positively about his," tried Narcissa.

"Positive? How can you expect him to be positive at a time like this Cissa? This is his future!" said Lucius, rather taken aback by the law himself.

"I could be paired with an _otter_! How can they decide! Marry in a year? Kids in 4? The Weaselbrat has lost his bloody mind! Considering he had one to begin with!" Raged Draco.

"We shall find a way out of this darling, we shall. But I doubt sacrificing my best chinaware would be a way out," said Narcissa, pointing dryly at the dishes which Draco had oh-so-graciously broken as a vent for his temper.

Lucius said nothing; he only appeared completely thoughtful. Draco smirked. He knew that look. The Malfoy's were going to fight back, or turn the tables in their favour.

* * *

_November 5th, 2010_

"So tell me Ms. Granger, how you would describe yourself in 25 words or less?" asked Dolores Umbridge, the stupid 'therapist' assigned to Hermione.

"Let's see here, um, irritated, completely bored, annoyed, slightly tired, sort of sadistic and overall angered at the idiot who invented this," replied Hermione, twirling her wand carelessly. They had been going back and forth over her personality traits for an hour now, and therapist Umbridge was getting mildly irked.

"I meant that seriously Ms. Granger. You have to realize that your future husband is in my hands. I don't think you would want to mess that, being the practical and far sighted girl that you are."

"And I would remind you that _Mr. Percy Ignatius Weasley_ has promised a bright and happy future. Now you wouldn't want to mess up his programme because of your moronic theories now would you, being the _practical_ and _far sighted _'lady' you are," replied Hermione calmly.

"Well, I could just inform him that you were refusing to cooperate in the matter at all," said Umbridge, startled at the blatant threat.

She had interviewed quite a few people in the last few days. Almost all ad been sarcastic in the beginning and had become serious once she'd let a tiny threat slip. This specimen however, was taking longer to crack.

"And I could just inform him that you were willing to tamper with lives and generations of families just for a little sadistic pleasure," sighed Hermione, looking downright sad, as though the very thought would make her sad, though it was quite the opposite.

"Please Ms. Granger; I have my next appointment waiting. Why can't you just finish up quickly and we both get on with our lives?"

Hermione seemed to consider for a moment, tapping her chin. Surrendering, she began describing herself.

Draco Malfoy had been a less of an irritation to Dolores Umbridge, who talked to him for exactly five minutes before seeing him off. He'd been eager to 'get it over with' as he put it, and had been the most cooperative of all.

End of the day, Dolores sat down with all her notes to analyze her days work. Most of her patients had been matched up temporarily, with the number increasing everyday as more and more were being interviewed. She went about the usual business of matching up the people, reading their responses and viewing their interviews through a pensieve just to cross check.

When she came down to the remaining last two, she couldn't help but grin gleefully as she matched up the pair. This was going to be _so_ much fun!

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**Loved it? Hated it? Don't keep it to yourself, Review!**

_**Coming up next: Harry and Ron. =P**_


	2. Chapter 2

**EDITED. DO NOT READ IF ALREADY READ. BUT, DO NOT REFRAIN FROM REVIEWING. =P**

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**Oh hello! =)**

**I am grateful for all the reviews, i really am. And know that i read all your reviews. I couldn't reply initially because Gmail was effed up and then junior year smacked me in the face. So, yeah. Sorry.**

**For language translations, scroll down to the bottom A/N, provided courtesy Cat'squill.**

**Keep the reviews following peeps. =P**

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. rest all belong to me.**

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Of Shopping with weird Women and proclaiming your love to them

_Hermione's office, Wizengamot_

Hermione smiled at her secretary as she picked up her coffee from her desk. She was having a relatively better week now that the final test was out of the way from the Ministry. Her research for the case against McLaggen had been going smoothly and she had had a fantastic first day in court. Setting her work down on her desk, she proceeded to munch an apple and read the Prophet. The next court date was weeks away; she could manage McLaggen easily now.

As she sipped her coffee Kyle her secretary walked in with her daily mail. He kept the letters on her table and informed her of a 10 o'clock meeting with her clients. She kept aside her mug and proceeded to open her mail. There were bills for the month, a Christmas offer from Madam Malkin's, a letter from mum and Harry and one official looking letter. She ripped the envelope open and scanned the contents.

_Dear MS. GRANGER,_

_You are cordially invited to The Annual Ministry Christmas Ball to be held on the 24th of December at the Ministry Ballroom. Being a part of the Ministry Muggle Marriage Law, you are required to attend as on the day, your better half shall be revealed._

_Looking forward to your participation,_

_Dolores Umbridge_

_Undersecretary_

_Percy Ignatius Weasley_

She sighed upon reading the letter and proceeded to read her other mail. She had given up any hope of fighting the monster that Percy had unleashed. She'd just have to go with it.

Not only was this whole idea of matchmaking ludicrous, it was also an expensive affair. Hermione finished work quickly because she kept getting patronuses from Ginny, begging her to go shopping together. She didn't want to; in fact, she had thought of sending on of her juniors to get her clothes. But then, when you're dealing with fire head, you had to be sure to carry an extinguisher.

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_Blasé Alley, SHOPPING TIME!_

Ginny squealed as she dragged Hermione around various shops at the most expensive wizarding shopping alley. And bloody hell, that girl could scream. She dragged her from one shop to the other, trying on thousands of dresses and then deciding on none. This was getting ridiculous; _utterly _and _totally_ ridiculous.

For one thing, Hermione rarely shopped at Blasé Alley; it was over priced and an overly snobbish establishment that was crawling with purebloods who turned their plastic noses at any new change. So basically even though they couldn't show it too publicly, Hermione could see them sneering at her and Ginny, well, as much as they _could_ show their sneer with all the beauty spells.

They both ended up at Ginny's favorite and Hermione's _least_ favorite shop, Madame Roberta's showroom for Fancy Occasions (pronounced _hoberta_). The owner was a French widow who had nothing better to do than torture girls for not having a flat tummy that could fit into corsets. She sat at the corner of the _showroom_, reminiscing in the old days when it was mandatory for young women to wear corsets and be obedient to their husbands. Needless to say, she and Hermione did not get along. At all.

"Good Morning Madame," said Ginny cheerfully to Madame Roberta. For some weird reason, she was a favorite of Madame.

"Bonjour Jinerva! Que fais ici une si belle dame comme vous aujourd'hui?" said the old lady, her eyes crinkling in delight.

"Je suis ici avec Hermione pour acheter des robes de bal," replied Ginny.

On the mention of her name, Roberta looked behind Ginny to see Hermione. Predictably, she sneered. Turning her head, she barked commands to her assistant who went scurrying into the store.

"Good Day to you too bitch," muttered Hermione.

"Come on!" said Ginny, giving Roberta one last smile.

She walked in front of Hermione, picking out dresses from the rack, stacking them one on top of the other. By the end of one aisle, Hermione was about to collapse under the weight.

"Ginny! You're a Witch for the love of Merlin!" she said between the frilly frocks.

"Shut up," she replied, leading her to the changing rooms. She removed the load from Hermione and pushed her into one of the changing rooms. As soon as Hermione gathered her thoughts, the first ball gown was thrust in. Grumbling (and listening to Ginny sing aloud the Bat Bogey hex) she quickly stripped and put it on.

It was weird and archaic with giant puffy sleeves and no breathing space. The skirts were ridiculously frilly. She didn't need to pull a Ginny to know that this gown was a no go. Still, to keep the creepy woman happy, she sighed and walked out.

"Absolutely not, no way," said Ginny.

"But Jinerva! It is a good dress! It makes _her_ look ... presentable for a change," said Roberta.

"No offence to the dress or your designing skills Madame, but it makes her look like she's gonna pass out any second. Go change Hermione" said Ginny.

"Well in my days the girls bore such torture to look pretty!" said Roberta, eyeballing Hermione. She did the best thing she could; she slammed the door of the changing room.

* * *

_Blasé Alley, 5 hours later, still at Madame Roberta's, SIGH_

"No, I don't know. This dress looks lumpy and shifts focus to your stomach which isn't exactly flat. No no no, go change," said Ginny, munching on French fries.

Hermione scowled. It was already after 10 in the night and they were still at it. _Nothing_ seemed to satisfy Ginny and Madame Bitch.

"No," she said.

"No what Mi?" said Ginny.

"No more. I don't want to look for any more dresses. I will go dressed in plaited pants and a silk blouse. No more," she said, entering the changing room and using her wand to rid herself of another ridiculous outfit. She then apparated home.

* * *

_Hermione's Residence,_

Setting her wand aside, she sunk into the couch, her head throbbing and her stomach growling. She was exhausted and wanted to crawl into bed to sleep. Sleep over the horrible days ahead, sleep over the horrible thing that's called shopping and sleep off the entire trial she had against McLaggen.

Not a minute later, Ginny apparated, looking livid. Hermione didn't even have to open her eyelids to know it was her standing, glaring into her skull.

"A quoi pensée- tu? Tu as tout simplement disparue! Cela m'a donné une mauvaise image! J'ai eu à te défendre envers Roberta!" she shouted.

"Go away French Fry," muttered Hermione.

Realizing her mistake, Ginny said, "Give me ONE GOOD REASON why I shouldn't just kill you now."

"Because with the best lawyer in the business gone, nobody would be able to save your sorry big arse from Azkaban which you shall be sentenced to for 25 years for murder," replied Hermione.

"Oh shut it," she said, before sighing loudly and sitting down on the couch next to her. It was then that Hermione noticed a big box and a small box in front of her on the coffee table. Ginny saw her looking at it and a sheepish grin spread across her face.

"Go ahead, open it. Compliments Madame Roberta," she said.

"It's not riddled with booby traps and poison, is it?" she asked.

"NO! That's a terrible thing to say! Hermione!" said Ginny, looking at her best friend as though she had grown a second head.

"I'm just saying. That Old Bat has had it for me since the minute we stepped into her shop two years ago for graduation gowns," she muttered, reaching out to open the bigger box first. Setting the cover aside, she fought with the butter paper used for wrapping to reveal the dress. And then she stared.

It was blood red in colour, sleeveless with a gold belt under the bust line. It was fitted till the knees. At the knees it had another diagonal floral pattern made of gold after which it flared dramatically with an off white cloth underneath the red one. It was _exquisite_.

Too numb for words, she reached out to open the smaller box. Again, she gasped. They were customized blood red pumps which she had been secretly lusting after for the last few months since she had seen them on the display window at Madame Shoney's Shoes. Words could not express her gratitude as she set aside her dress and hugged Ginny fiercely.

"Wait a minute. Stay RIGHT HERE," she said, as she scrambled into her bedroom and opened her closet. She had bought Ginny's Christmas present months back when she had been walking around Paris. It seemed appropriate to give it to her now so she could use it for the ball.

As commanded, Ginny was still sitting on her couch as she hurried back. Her eyes grew wide as she saw a big box in Hermione's hands. Squealing, she sat up on her knees and snatched it from her hands with a "Gimme that!" and sat down again to open it. Hermione watched smugly as her eyes grew wider and wider till they looked like they were going to fall out.

Inside was a dark blue colour gown, strapless again with a gold belt under the bust line. It flared normally like a ball gown should, with little gold trinkets here and there. There were gloves along with the gown, which were open fingered. So it was elegant and sassy at the same time. Along with them were strappy gladiator heels of the same colour.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love you?" she said, turning to Hermione.

"I love you too darling," she replied.

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**Language translations (Thank you, Cat'squill)**

Que fais ici une si belle dame comme vous aujourd'hui?:What is a beautiful lady like yourself doing today?

Je suis ici avec Hermione pour acheter des robes de bal : I am here with Hermione to buy ball gowns

A quoi pensée- tu? Tu as tout simplement disparue! Cela m'a donné une mauvaise image! J'ai eu à te défendre envers Roberta! : What were you thinking? You just disappeared! It made me look bad! I had to defend you from Roberta!

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**Okay, so I know I promised Harry and Ron in this chapter, but I couldn't help it.**

_**Next chapter: (I promise) The ball and the couples revealed.**_

**Reviews are better than Draco walking towards you on the beach wearing black swimming trunks.**

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Hermione Granger: 

Dress- w-weddinggowns wp - content / uploads / 2011 / 03 / non-white-wedding-gowns . jpg  
Shoes- realvssteal wp-content / uploads / items / yves-saint-laurent / shoes / yves-saint-laurent-ysl-tribtoo-platform-pumps-red- patent . jpg

Ginny Weasley:

Dress- www . misquincemag cm / misquincemag images /blue-dress-quinceanera-mariposa-Q387-de-18462101 . jpg

Shoes- www . mycolorfashion wp-content / uploads / 2010 / 03 / 01 / Cesare-Paciotti-Jewelled-satin-sandals . jpg


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the late update. I have been crazy busy. Word to the wise, NEVER take science in junior and senior year. It is shit difficult and bloody time consuming. I wrote this chapter a day before a physics test which accounts for a third of my grade this term. So y'all better like it.**

**Another sorry for the last and this chapter. They both are sort of fillers, so i realize they're not up to the mark. That's because I've been going through a Stoopid case of writer's block, thanks to all the marriage fics i read. I know i promised something different, but now having read all those, i'm not sure i'll be able to come up with anything _radically_ different. So if y'all have ANY IDEAS, PLEASE, PLEASE, _PLEASE_ PM me or leave it in your comments.**

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. Rest all belongs to me.**

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Percy the douche bag

_Granger Residence,_

She was already ready with her clothes in place and make up done. Yet, Hermione couldn't get herself to move a muscle. She sat still in front of the dressing table, staring at her reflection. Today—no, _tonight_ was it. She was about to find out who her 'better' half was. And then she'd have to suck it up and live with him (hopefully, she got a guy) for the rest of her life, irrespective of whether she actually liked him or not. For the first time in months, a tear of hopelessness trickle down her cheek. Before she had a chance to dwell on it any further though, she heard a _POP!_ Behind her and whirled around, wand at the ready.

"If you intend to kill me, please do it now before I find out that my wife's gonna be someone like Millicent Bullstrode," said Harry conversationally, his green eyes glinting in humor.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want?" she grumbled, hastily wiping her tears.

"Ginny figured that you'd be preparing to kill yourself soon so she sent me to make sure you didn't. So, say hello to your escort," he said, grinning completely and puffing in chest in mock ego.

Laughing, Hermione waved a wand on her face and was perfect again. Taking Harry's hand, she apparated to the Ministry.

* * *

_Department of Muggle Affairs, Ballroom, Ahem, SHOWTIME!_

The ballroom could only be described in one word- overcrowded. There were people all over the place and despite the expansion magic, it still looked comparatively small. To Hermione it felt like a Hogwarts reunion more than a life changing ball. People kept coming p to her, Harry, Ron and Ginny to say hi. Lavender and Parvati had already paid their homage and the squealing match was done and over with thankfully.

As she stood at the corner with Ron, sipping her drink her eyes scanned everyone in the room. Alumnus from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons stood separate and seemed a bit wary of the alumnus of Hogwarts. In fact, some turned their noses at them, thinking them less than commoners. She smirked in her drink at the thought of that.

There was quite a sizable crowd dancing. Initially there had been an old school band playing the waltz and the tango and such. Later the Weird Sisters had taken over and drawn some cheer from the crowd.

Hermione looked calm on the surface, but inside her mind was racing with the various potential husbands. She eyes saw and her mind analyzed before moving on to the next target. So far, no one had quite qualified for the ideal husband award.

"I think I see Percy walking towards the stage. Yup, he is. Brace yourself," said Ron as he leaned down to whisper into her ear. Oh yes, she found it immensely annoying that despite the 6 inch heels she was shorter than most of the men in the room. Ugh.

The Weird Sisters stopped playing and drew a lot of anger from the crowd. Percy cast a charm on his throat and cleared it. The crowd stopped talking immediately. This was it. You could practically feel everyone holding their breath in their throats.

"Good evening and welcome to the Annual Christmas Ball!" he said, grinning as his beginning received a polite applaud. The people were now tense. The excessive drinking and eating had done little to stamp out the stress they had.

"This year, my department has amended an old law which I am sure you are all aware of. Before announcing the results, I would like to take you through the inside workings of the Ministry which has finally culminated into this day. And I am sure you all would like to know what all factors were kept in mind while deciding your futures."

"You mean destroying them," muttered Ron and Hermione bit back a laugh.

"First was the interview which you all had with my Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge. The interview sessions were tapped and viewed again and again in the hopes of capturing the basic essence of your characters. Based on the initial screening, tentative couples were made.

The next step was examining your past records from school and such. All your teachers who had taught you in school were called for an interview. Based on their word, the next stage of matching was done.

The third and the final step was the test, which every one of you gave. IT was conducted to test your mental ability and IQ. Based on all t he three results, all of your traits and family backgrounds, the couples were matched. Without further ado, I present to you the couples!" he said, taking out a long, _long_ roll of parchment which he began to read out.

As he did, people started looking around for their partners and walking up to them, trying to exchange pleasantries and trying their best to ignore the awkwardness. This was worse than being set up on a blind date by a person chosen by your parents.

"Harry Potter; Ginny Weasley!" Both of them sighed with relief and stupid grins spread across their faces.

"Neville Longbottom; Pansy Parkinson!" Neville snorted out his drink in shock. Pansy stood rooted to the ground, her face sheet white. None of them made a move to go acknowledge each other's presence.

"Blaise Zabini; Luna Lovegood!" Luna cast a knowing look, like she'd known all along. Blaise shrugged, though his eyes showed pure hatred.

"Ronald Weasley; Astoria Greengrass!"

"WHAT? HOW COULD YOU PERCY! I HAPPEN TO BE YOUR BROTHER! YOU SADISTIC BASTARD! YOU EFFECTIVELY RUINED MY LIFE!" shouted Ron, his face red. He couldn't believe it! This could _not_ be happening.

Percy didn't even look at him as he continued to read out from his list. Hermione was left standing alone in the corner as everyone got divided into pairs. There weren't many options left. A few men from Durmstrang and a few from Hogwarts. Beauxbatons' girls were mostly paired off with surprisingly many as homosexual couples. As more got paired off, she started to panic.

"Draco Malfoy; Hermione Granger!"

There was a sharp intake of breathe. The people went silent. Few moved out of the way to reveal a furious looking Draco Malfoy standing, his eyes glinting in disbelief. It was like everyone was waiting for one of them to explode.

Hermione had gone numb. Her mind was blank except a little chant at the back of her head that went something like _this can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening this can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. AAAAAARGHHHHHH! _

Outwardly, her eyes with cool with her nose scrounged up like she'd smelt something dirty. She took a deep breath and started walking towards him, since it was clear that he had no intention to move whatsoever. As she reached next to him, she didn't even look at him, preferring instead to look at everyone else with narrowed eyes that clearly said _Piss off._

Congratulations Percy, she thought bitterly, just when I thought you couldn't be more of a douche bag, you outdid yourself.

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**I WILL post the next chapter before 22nd this month. That's when i leave for Germany. And that also happens to be the day of moi's birthday. So i'd love to give y'all a treat. I'm gonna be legal! YAY!**

**Please do review. They mean so much to me.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for the love. My life is really, really messed up and I am trying my best to get it all back together. Please bear with me while i make sense of my life. I promise a big chapter soon. This chapter was put up today because of my sister, Av. I love you!**

**Disclaimer: All the recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. Rest all belongs to me.**

**XXOO**

**linux-Ginny**

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Of revenges and destroyed lifetimes

_Ministry of Magic Ballroom,_

It made her sick. Physically and mentally sick that she had to spend the rest of her life with a vile and evil creature who, in her opinion, had been let off easy despite all of his heinous crimes. This really seemed like a disgusting joke and she sure was NOT laughing.

After the party was over, Percy announced that couples could leave and 'enjoy their lifetime of bliss which was to follow'. It took Neville, Harry _and_ Ron to stop Hermione from lunging at him and caving his head in. This outburst led Draco to comment rather loudly on the upbringing of muggleborn's ('Rather uncultured they are a bunch of barbarians'). Added to the above it took Fred, George and Ginny to stop **her **from lunging at him. Uncultured her arse.

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_Hermione POV_

All thoughts running through my head, involved violent and cruel thoughts of killing the one and only man who was supposed to be my husband. Ahem, _fiancée. _I couldn't live with him if I was given the choice between that and death! We were like the north and south poles of a same magnet, destined to stay **APART.**And it should have stayed that way. Obviously, no on had told Percy that because he had gone ahead and effectively ended my life without directly lowering me into a coffin, though he could've.

Nothing. And I mean, _nothing_ could be worse than this. I had heard all about pureblood wives; about how they did not do jobs and stayed devoted and attended to their husbands. They couldn't talk out of turn. They could speak unless spoken to They had to agree with everything the husband said; whether it be tripe or shit. Wonderful. Absolutely perfect. This lifetime was down the drain. I really hope that God gives me the compensation I deserve, or I am coming after him.

* * *

_Draco POV_

On the outside I appeared as calm as one could appear upon hearing the news that the only heir to the Malfoy EMPIRE was to marry a Mudblood. The idiotic, red headed _freak_ may not have realized but he destroyed the most powerful pureblood empire in wizarding history. I knew his jealousy would come at a price, I just didn't realize that he had enough brain cells for a plan this ambitious. If he hadn't destroyed everything that I lived for, I would have applauded him myself.

But seriously, GRANGER? Of all the sodding people in this world that were present, he banished them all off his 'prospective list and chose the Queen of all things holy? I couldn't poke her in the ribs, let alone produce an heir? The thought was absolutely revolting!

* * *

**Like I said, big chapter will be up as soon as I can get myself together. **

**And can you believe Harry Potter is really, truly over? I can't wrap my head around t. It's like a part of my life is gone leaving an empty void. :'(**


	5. Chapter 5

**Please don't shoot me. I mean well. **

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. Rest all belong to me.**

**XXOO**

**linux-Ginny**

* * *

Damn

Hermione heaved a sigh. Her head was hurting. Her feet were aching. The pain in her heart had simmered to a dull after large doses of Dr. Ginny's prescribed chocolate ice cream. Her eyes stung from the excessive crying. From frustration of course.

The last week and a half had been irritating and tiring, all at once. Right after the ball, Draco caught hold of her and apparated them into the Manor to announce their Ministry induced engagement. She had been angry at him for practically kidnapping her, but that annoyance soon turned to fright and anxiety. His parents were pleasant enough, though Lucius seemed cool. But hen, she had never actually seen him to be anything but.

They had to move in together within 5 days as per ministry regulations. And Narcissa insisted that they move into the Manor.

* * *

_Earlier that week,_

"Draco, dear, it is a Malfoy tradition!" she said.

"It's also a Malfoy tradition to marry a pureblood and _voluntarily_. Clearly, Malfoy rules have been forever damned," he sneered.

"You will not speak to your mother in this tone, Draco. Apologize immediately," said Lucius, sounding bored.

"Like I said, you must move in here. This manor is too big for just the two of us—"

"_And_ army of workers."

"And we feel that Ms. Granger will enjoy it here. It is pleasant and big enough to accommodate all four of us without any of us actually getting in each others way. What do you think, Ms. Granger?" asked Narcissa, ignoring Draco's intrusion.

"I think that that the topic of this discussion is pointless. I will never move in here, even if you use an unforgivable."

"Well, it is settled then. I shall see you two in 3 days time. I require time to renovate and redecorate the East wing, which will be yours. Run along children, it is late," said Narcissa, letting Hermione's sulky response pass.

With that, she knew they were dismissed. As she stood up, gathering the various underlying skirts of her gown, she noticed Draco remained seated. Letting out a rather irritated sigh, she turned to leave.

"Draco! Are you a barbarian? Escort Ms. Granger back to her house! I have not raised you to ignore a lady! Shame on you!" snapped Narcissa, looking livid.

"No, Mrs. Malfoy, it's alright. I am perfectly capable of Apparating myself home," bit back Hermione. She just wanted to go home. All the drama of evening was more than enough to last a lifetime. She wanted to crawl into her bed next to Softie, her cat and sleep.

"Draco, escort her home. Stop troubling your mother," said Lucius, looking bored but annoyed. Draco let out a slight groan, but stood up. Walking to the door, he held it open.

"After you, milady".

"Don't even pretend to have manners, Malfoy. I might just die of shock."

"Just walk."

There went her Christmas.

* * *

_Throughout the week,_

All through the week, Hermione tried _really_ hard to immerse herself in work in order to forget a certain ferret she was engaged to. Unfortunately for her, it turned out to be harder than she thought. Narcissa Malfoy turned up one day along with giant books having colour schemes and room designs for their wing of the house. After pointing at random colours, she managed to get rid of her.

Ron frequented almost everyday, whining about his fiancée. Astoria apparently was an overenthusiastic harpy with no more than two brain cells in between her ears. Atleast according to Ron.

Molly gave Percy a good beating down. He hadn't returned back to the Burrow since. He even avoided all of his family members at the Ministry.

Harry seemed to be the only one happy with his partner. He had a big, goofy grin plastered on his face as he walked through his daily chores. Ginny seemed indifferent, like she knew all along. Neville had apparently disappeared. Luna had scared Blaise into hiding. She had hoped that Draco would go into hiding too, but sadly, that didn't happen. He didn't turn up to meet her, per se. His picture kept appearing on the society section of Daily Prophet, as he continued making rounds in all pureblood gatherings.

Hermione paid a visit to her grandmother on Thursday, the day she was supposed to officially move into the Manor. Her parents had died in a car crash the year she obliviated their memory and sent them to Australia. Gran was her only living relative.

"You're getting MARRIED?" exclaimed Gran, nearly spitting out her tea as they sat in the living room.

"It's complicated Gran. There's this new rule passed by the Ministry and every wizard and witch has o follow it," said Hermione.

"Well then. You're not entirely a witch, Mini. You can easily come back to us normal folk if you so wish. I'm sure with your intelligence, you could land up a job anywhere," said Gran.

"I wish I could. But this world has given me my identity and friends and family! I can't let go of that!" sighed Hermione. She had already considered that.

"Who is the young man you have been paired with? Have you known him long enough?"

"Do you remember when I told you about Draco Malfoy?"

"What? Wasn't he the boy who was mean to you in school? Are you sure about this?" said Gran, raising an eyebrow.

"Like I said, I don't have a choice. Anyway, here's the address to my new home. I've already told Ruby about my new home, so if you tie a letter to her foot, she'll fly straight there. I doubt that a muggle post man will deliver there. So, if you want to visit, I'll hook you up to the floo network. I'll have to take permission for that."

"When're you expected to get married?"

"Within a year. And they want an heir in the next four. I doubt St. Mungo's will be equipped enough to handle the sudden onslaught of babies."

"I want to be a part of the preparations. Keep me up to date with everything, ok? And would it be fine with you if I hosted Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy for dinner one night?" she asked.

"Dunno about that. I'll have to ask. Then I'll write back soon, okay? Look I have got to go. I'm moving into the Manor tonight. I'll call as soon as I reach in and settle, okay?" said Hermione as she stood up and kissed Gran on the forehead. She waved and then apparated.

* * *

_Granger Residence,_

All of her bags had been packed and shrunk. Everything else had been packed shrunk and put into a bag labeled 'Storage'. Her house had been put up for sale and had been sold within a few hours to a rich muggle tycoon waiting to grab hold of her house. All magical stuff had been cleaned out by Ministry workers and the floo had been disconnected. For the first time since she had moved in, Hermione saw her house bare.

She sat waiting for the house elves to show up. Soon enough, her things started disappearing as the elves took them one by one to the Manor. As the clock struck 6 in the evening, her port key got activated and she got sucked into a whirlpool leading to the Manor.

* * *

_Welcome home!_

She landed in the parlor she had previously been forced-apparated into by Malfoy on the night of the Ball. Narcissa sat there, alone sipping her tea.

"Good evening, Ms. Granger. Do come in and have a seat," she waved her over. She sat down opposite her and picked up the tea cup that appeared in front of her. Both of the sat in silence, with the occasional sound of sipping the tea and the crackling fire breaking it.

"I trust you have been well these days, Ms. Granger," said Narcissa after a while.

"I have been busy with work, but yes, I have been well. Thank you for asking Mrs. Malfoy," replied Hermione.

"Please, darling, call me Narcissa. I want us to get to know each other well."

"You may call me Hermione then, Mrs.—Narcissa," she replied again, growing uncomfortable by the second.

Thankfully, an elf saved the day. Dressed in a butler's uniform and talking in impeccable English, Tea Cup appeared in front of them.

"The Bags have been unpacked and placed correctly, Mistress. The Wing is ready," he squeaked.

"Very well, Tea Cup. Send out a message to Master Malfoy. Tell him that I demand that he show his face here at once," she said. Getting up, Hermione set down her cup and started following Narcissa curiously.

"One thing that you will learn fast enough in this house Hermione is that a lot of the things are interconnected like port keys. All the Chinese vases will connect to the West Wing, that is ours and all the Greek Vases will connect to yours. If you touch then lightly and run your index finger twice on the rim, you will end up towards the destination.

The Crystal Vases connect to the Northern Wing, which has the dinning rooms and the ball rooms," Narcissa said, making her way to the grand marble stair case.

"I'd advise you to take to stair case though. It is always peasant to walk. The Manor has lots of gardens. You will find in your stay that there are a lot of modern additions to the Manor as well. There are two swimming pools, one outside and one indoor heated one. The Southern wing has all of these new additions. We have the pool and gym on the top floor," she continued all the while walking up the stairs.

Hermione couldn't help but gawk at her surroundings. Everything was exquisite and of the highest and most expensive quality ever. There were paintings on the walls, compositions of crowds enjoying picnics. All of them waved at her and gushed about her.

After what seemed like ages, they finally reached a warm common room room. There was a fireplace with the fire crackling merrily. The floor was carpeted and in front of her, through another beautiful door, stood an intricate four poster bed. The bed was like the one found in old days, with a roof top and curtains. It was _huge_ and looked so comfortable. As she walked inside on her left was another door, possible to the study. To her right was a bathroom.

There were colours everywhere. Narcissa had outdone herself. The bedroom sported bold colours, contrasts and giant Muggle abstract paintings. The theme seemed to be forest green and deep maroon.

She peeked into the bathroom to see a giant one with beige hues and lots of lights. There was a giant bathtub made of marble and a crystal door leading to the impressive, 6 spout shower. There was a vanity with three mirrors and lots of things lying there already. At the side were plush sofas and a low coffee table with fresh flowers and magazines on it.

Merlin, she could live inside this bathroom! She noticed another door inside the bathroom. Opening it, she realized she was looking at what could be an endless walk in closet. She recognized her clothes in between the madness. Obviously, Narcissa had bought her more clothes. They were all arranged colour coordinated and matched.

Walking out of the bathroom, she noticed Narcissa sitting at the sofa in her bedroom, smiling slightly. Outside, she saw that it had stopped snowing (through industrial size windows of course).

"Narcissa, I... I'm afraid I am at a loss for words. This is amazing!" she said, noticing her voice came out high pitched and breezy.

"Oh, you embarrass me. All of the effort was completely worth it though. I have never seen the great Hermione Granger so dazed in her life!" Narcissa replied. Blushing, Hermione then noticed her cat Softie sleeping on her lap. Blushing even deeper red, she started forward to remove her from there when Narcissa stopped her. She continued stroking the cat while she purred in her sleep. She was about to say something when she was interrupted.

"Mother! Where are you?" called out a disgruntled Draco, walking into the bedroom. Hardly noticing the marvelous room, he noticed his mother sitting on the couch with a snow white cat sleeping on her lap.

"There you are! I have been looking for you!" he said, walking towards her and giving her a peck on her cheek. Straightening himself up, he noticed Hermione sitting there too.

"And so are you. Great."

"Evening Malfoy.'

"Whatever. OW! What was that for?" he exclaimed, wincing suddenly when he felt a hand coming in contact with his shoulder, hard.

"Behave Draco! Honestly, one would think you have been raised by a pack of wolves!" cried Narcissa.

"I apologize Mother, Granger. Now if you will excuse me, I have to change. Work today was hectic," he said, getting up and disappearing into the bathroom.

"I have to ask you to forgive my son dear. He can be a brute at times, but he means well," said Narcissa, turning to Hermione.

"It's alright Narcissa. I am used to this by now," she replied, trying not to laugh.

Just then, another elf, this time dressed in a housekeeper's uniform apparated into the room.

"Mistress, Mister Malfoy is waiting for all of you for dinner," she squeaked.

"Of course Turnip. We shall be there shortly. Apologize to Mr. Malfoy from my side as well, please," said Narcissa. She stood up and set aside Softie on the couch, who curled up more in her sleep.

"I shall see you at dinner, Hermione." With that, she apparated away, leaving a slightly more coherent Hermione and an annoyed cat.

* * *

_That night,_

Dinner was a quiet affair, with an overly extravagant meal. Lucius sat at the head of the table with Narcissa to his left. To his right sat Draco. Next to him sat Hermione. They all ate quietly. It was the most boring dinner Hermione had ever had, being used to the jolly affair at the Weasley's house.

As the clock struck 12 somewhere, she was drying her hair after a long warm bath. Wrapped in her towel, she walked into her closet to find something to wear for the night. To her horror, she found all her boxers and giant shirts missing. In place of them were dainty night gowns, each one more revealing than the next! _Narcissa!_ Was the only though that came to her mind. Suppressing her anger and mortification, she picked out the one which was the least revealing and put it on.

She suddenly realized that Malfoy was sitting on the bed, reading a book. Groaning at her misfortune, she plastered an indifferent expression on her face and marched into the bedroom. Sitting on her side of the bed, she mentally summoned a jar of cream from the vanity and started applying in on her legs, as for her custom.

Draco had been reading his book quite peacefully. When he saw Hermione walk into the room, his eyebrows went all the way up. She was sporting what was probably a tiny red silk wrap around that fell just after her belly button. She wore lacy bottoms that were _very_ unlike her. To his shock, she summoned a jar and started applying cream on her legs. Unable to hold it any longer, he cleared his throat.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I am applying cream. Now I am setting the jar aside and slipping under the covers. And now, I am instructing my brain to switch off so that I can sleep peacefully. Good Night Malfoy," she said, doing exactly that. She turned to her side with her back on Draco, took a deep breathe and tried to tune him out.

Draco got out of bed to walk to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed he was wearing black silk pajamas and no shirt.

Damn.

* * *

**Well? Am i forgiven?**

**Write and tell me in your review!**

**C=**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for such a short chapter. I've had _ no_ time for the past month. **

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J. K. R. rest everything else belongs to me.**

**XXOO**

**linux-Ginny**

* * *

Deer caught in the headlights

Her life in the Manor was mundane. She immersed herself in work completely to avoid any possibility of _sparks_ between the two of them. She would wake up and slip out of bed as soon as dawn broke out and dragged herself home well after midnight. And she did all of that to avoid a _certain__someone_.

She even resolved to work on the weekends. She just couldn't do it. She couldn't get herself to face him after her she _felt_ something looking at him the other night. Much to her relief, she woke up each morning on her side of the bed with nothing invading her bubble of privacy.

On the flip side, the long work hours coupled with little or no rest took its toll on her. She became a trigger happy personality, overly stressed and snappy. She nearly hexed her secretary into the next century for getting her coffee (she didn't knock) and blew up the vending machine installed in the lawyer's lounge downstairs (it handed her a stale sandwich). Unknowingly, of course.

Her interns and juniors were dead scared of her, emphasis on _dead_. It was very unlike her to be behaving like this. She had become immensely moody

"What the hell is this? You really hope to prove our point with this tripe? Are you OUT of your MIND? YOU COULDN'T CONVINCE KINDERGARTNERS TO _BUY_ CHOCOLATE WITH THIS KIND OF AN ARGUMENT!" she screamed and threw the file on Jessica, her intern. The poor girl looked like she was about to pass out; she was already crying. "What are looking at me for? Get out!" Jessica didn't need to be told twice; she fled.

_One one thousand, two one thousand, three on thousand..._

"That wasn't a nice thing to do Hermione." The missing fiery head, Ron was standing at her door, frowning with his arms crossed.

"Oh, and you're the epitome of nice, aren't you?"

"Touché. But I know how to treat my peers. Don't vent on that poor girl just because your day is not going well," he said, making his way to a livid Hermione who was trying to calm her down.

"Besides, you should be saving this anger for your favorite _mammal_," he said grinning, holding up his hands as if to say _I__'__m__harmless_. Sure enough, this earned him a twitch of the lips. Hermione let out a sigh, choking back her tears. She just wanted her _home_, the one place where she could unwind and relax and just _be__herself_. Ron noticed her internal struggle and crossed over to hug her.

"Sh... It's okay. Let it all out, Mione," he said, gently rubbing her back. She just let go of the last ounce of her control and the tears streamed down incessantly.

"Isn't that too cozy? How cute! Not going soft on me, are you Granger?" said Cormac from the door. Hermione cringed inwardly. _What __was __it __with __people __and __interrupting __her __thoughts __today? __Where __was __the __PRIVACY?_

"Piss off man," growled Ron, not stopping with his stroking her back.

"Oh no, it's okay. She needs practice in the crying drama, because that's what she'll be doing once I'm through with her. In court of course," said Cormac, looking smug. Suddenly, he yelped as his robes caught fire and frantically started to bat on them. Hermione looked up to find Ron looking suspiciously innocent. When he saw her looking he shrugged.

"He was being an arse. Want some lunch?"

* * *

She found herself in a bit of a spot an hour later. Much to her chagrin, she was done with all of her work for the year. Which was ending in a few hours. For the first time in days, Hermione felt guilty for avoiding Narcissa. She had been busy organizing for the annual Malfoy ball all by herself, without any help from Hermione. Sighing in resignation, she decided to call it a day and apparated _home_.

"No, no, no! Not there Tea Cup! Put it on the corner there! Skippy, SKIPPY! I asked for carnations, _not_ tulips dear. Hurry along now. I want green and white in colour. HERMIONE! Oh thank Merlin!" she said, noticing a gaping Hermione standing at the entrance hall as a flurry of activity went around them both. Narcissa looked so glad to see her, she almost passed out.

"I am so sorry Narcissa. I feel like a right git! Is there any preparation left? I honestly would like to—"

"Of course, of course, come with me now. TEA CUP! You're incharge. Make sure everyone behaves, am I clear?" she waved to Tea Cup, who squeaked his response, before transfiguring a tall stool to stand on and give orders.

"Now, we are expecting 200 people tonight. That includes the Minister of Magic and a few very important dignitaries of Wizengamot. We still have another hall way to decorate before I go to the hall to assess the table and seating arrangement. What are you wearing by the way?" Narcissa stopped and turned around. Hermione, who had been making mental notes of the things to be done, bumped into her.

"I don't quite know yet. I mean, I have a few things short listed but—"

"ROSY!" called Narcissa, suddenly looking livid. A meek looking elf wearing a housemaids' uniform apparated to her side with uncut carnations in one hand and scissors in another. Noticing her mistake, the elf vanished the contents and bowed slightly.

"Contact Madame Harriet immediately. Tell her it is an emergency and that I require her assistance at once. And tell her to bring her full team," she rattled off before catching hold of Hermione's hand and used a nearby artifact to Apparate into another part of the house.

Hermione took a second to regain her senses; it took a while to get used to involuntary Apparation. There was something _loony_ about this family. They seemed big on uninformed Apparitions. You would think that in a society obsessed beyond reason with manners, they would learn some. Sigh.

"Can you please tell me where we are atleast, Narcissa?" she asked, rubbing the back of her neck. The room (hall) they were in looked like an un scale saloon.

"This, my dear, is my private wing. You shall have a seat right _there_," she said, guiding her to the leather chair to their right, "And we shall be meeting with Madame Harriet, who is right on time as usual. Hello, darling," she said, turning around to greet a stunning witch behind her.

"Cissa dear, I came as soon as I heard your dilemma. Don't you worry, we shall turn this caterpillar into a butterfly!" she cooed, in a mixed accent of French, English and American.

Hermione's eyebrows went up, way up and threatened to disappear into her hairline. _She __was __being __ambushed __and __coerced __into __a __MAKEOVER?_ Madame Harriet noticed her behind Narcissa and walked towards her slowly, like a hunter towards its prey.

"Hmm... dreadfully kept hair, beautiful eyes but _hidden_, long legs, (good, good), _men__'__s__clothes_ and... oh my! What is it with all those terrible pores darling? OH! Abominable!" she gasped, walking around Hermione, poking and prodding her.

"Excuse me?"

"Ah, _non,__non._I can practically hear your skin _screaming_! Oh, the _dilemma!_ Robert! Henry! Come dears, we have WORK! Claire, attend to the toes and brows. Chop, chop everyone!" she clapped twice and all of a sudden, she was swamped with a million people, asking her what shampoo she used (those locks are looking _dead_ darling! Surely you clean them?) and what nail paint colour she wanted (Ivory black or matte black?). The great Brains behind the Trio, the Know-it-All-Bookworm, the Wizengamot Advocate, the Ministry of Europe Ambassador to America and the recent owner of Flourish and Botts felt like a reindeer caught in the headlights. Uh oh.

* * *

**Please don't hurt me? I really, really mean well...**

**Oh, and Madame Harriet is styled on Paulo of Princess Diaries. Sort of. **

**Review?**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm sorry if you guys think my chapters and too short and not frequently updated. I really am. I don't have any excuse. As a make up for my noon frequent updates, I shall post another chapter within next week. As a Christmas Present. Promise. **

**50 reviews! =D**

** This is a shout out for **irockursocksoff **for being the 50TH REVIEWER! *virtual cookies* (I'll update next week, I promise. I can't say much about the length, because I usually write up to 3 max. 5 pages a chapter, but I'll try for a bigger one. Is that okay?)**

**Disclamier: All recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. Rest all belongs to me.**

**XXOO **

**linux-Ginny**

* * *

Of failed Parenting and mean Guests

_Malfoy Manor, same day_

"I am about to kill your mother. I needed your blessing to go through my rather diabolical plan, Malfoy," declared a very dressed up Hermione as she walked into their bedroom to hunt for her stilettos. Draco was standing in nothing but his black slacks, going through his cupboard to find something suitable to wear.

"Oh? And pray, do tell, why would that be?" he asked in a bored tone, spying his black t shirt in the mess.

"Because she kidnapped me and I got surrounded by a million people prodding my skin and asking insanely mind boggling questions!" she exclaimed, sitting down on her knees to look under their bed for her shoes. Where had she put them?

"That's a first! Hermione Granger not knowing an answer to a ques...tion," he smirked turning around to see his fiancée on her knees, bent with her head under the bed, muttering curses. Her back was bare. It was shimmering. Literally, like a thousand crushed diamonds had been rubbed onto it.

Triumphant and successful in finding her stilettos, she propped onto the bed and put them on. Walking into the bathroom, she sat down in front of the vanity and selected a pair of ruby earrings to wear.

All this while, Draco stood frozen, his heart beating at a thousand times an hour. Looking up, he saw that his face was flushed in the reflection. Why was this happening? Waving a glass of water into existence out of the wave of his hand, he took a few moments to calm himself. It wasn't good to let go of one's carefully intact emotional barrier, his father had always taught him. Emotions show weakness. It shows the person opposite you the door to exploit your worst fears. Not one person on this earth could be trusted with your emotions.

"Well, what do you think? Do I look like I am about to pass out due to hunger and exhaustion any second?" asked Hermione, emerging out of the bathroom. She didn't know what possessed her to ask such a question; not that the answer would matter anyway. She twirled slowly, cursing herself for asking something like this. Perhaps she had inhaled the hair mousse that that idiot had so liberally sprayed.

Draco looked up from buttoning his t-shirt. His face looked deceptively blank as he hid his surprise at her question. As she twirled experimentally, he felt feverish. The dress was jet black, with the front of the dress up to her throat with three-fourths of a sleeve. It was fitting throughout and fanned at the bottom. Her hair were done up half up and half down. Her back however, was bare till halfway down her back, where it tapered and cloth appeared. The only accessory she had to go along with her dress was hanging teardrop ruby earrings.

"It will do," was the only reply he managed to choke out before turning his back to her to observe her from his mirror. She looked stumped for about a second, before her carefully crafted mask slithered back into place and her stance went rigid with defiance.

"I shall see you downstairs. I have to help Narcissa with some last minute stuff."

"Whatever, Granger."

* * *

_Ballroom,_

The ballroom started to fill up with people as the evening set in. There were noises of fake laughter and squeal (Darling! You look _smashing_!) and clinks of champagne and wine glasses. Narcissa, the ever gracious host dressed in white like a 60's Hollywood star went from one clique to another, greeting everyone. Lucius stood with the men, all dressed in black to complement Narcissa's outfit, talking.

Hermione accompanied Narcissa in the whole meet and greet, though she said little. She smiled a little, answered some questions and moved on. To her surprise, the talking stilled for a few minutes as Draco descended down the stairs, looking incredible in grey. She frowned slightly; whatever happened to wearing black?

As she occupied herself with thoughts, she didn't realize that she kept staring at him. He strode confidently towards her and smirked, leaning close to whisper, "Do stop staring love. People might actually think you're in love with me." That actually shut her up and caused her to blush scarlet.

As the evening settled into darkness, they both steered clear of each other. Thankfully, Harry and Ginny were invited, as were Ron and Astoria and Neville and Pansy. She stuck with her group of friends throughout, as Astoria and Pansy walked away from their spouses as soon as they entered. So basically, her evening wasn't progressing half as bad.

It was not news anymore that she was to marry Draco. She had received her fair share of stares as she had walked around Diagon Alley and while going to work. Somehow, tonight, at Pureblood Central, the stares had a malicious edge to them. Almost as if these people wanted to see her fail, like it would give them a certain amount of pleasure. And their stares and whispers were getting on her nerves.

When Narcissa called her, she made her way across the ball room to her. On her way, she accidentally bumped into another person.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" she said, turning around to see if the person was okay.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME, YOU MUDBLOOD FILTH?" screamed a woman, not much older than she.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident," Hermione replied, trying to avert a scene.

"NO IT WASN'T! It has come to this, hasn't it? You filthy excuses for human beings have started palling up with us purebloods! You think that just because you dress like us and can speak like us you're one of us! Get this in your head, _girl_! You can never be one of us!" she screamed. By then, she had caused enough of a ruckus to draw attention to them.

"Now wait here just a minute! There is no need to say terrible things like that! I didn't mean to bump into you! If you could just calm down, we can talk about this like the civilized people we are!" cried Hermione.

"Don't you dare tell my woman to calm down, you barbarian!" said a man who suddenly appeared. Huh. So this woman was the latest arm candy of Nott Sr.

"Well, she started it!" Hermione replied, getting increasingly frustrated.

"And I am ending it! God alone knows what this world has come to. In my day, you could have been beheaded for even _thinking_ about pushing a pureblooded woman!" he growled, stepping forward.

It was sometime around then that she realized that it was hopeless and futile to continue fighting. This was a crowd completely comprising of purebloods who wanted to rip her arms out. Mildly irritated, she tried to turn around and walk away only to feel a rough hand on her shoulder and be whirled around to see a menacing Nott Sr. standing in her face.

"Theodore, unhand her immediately. You are causing a scene," said an authoritative voice of Narcissa from behind her. He let her go and stepped back.

"Narcissa darling, looking radiating as always," he said, slipping into the smooth façade of a pureblooded man. He pushed Hermione aside and took her hand, dropping a kiss on her knuckles. Narcissa's hard exterior slipped as she exchanged pleasantries with him. Hermione was stumped; what just happened?

Anger boiling and pulsing into her veins she turned around, whirled around Nott Sr. and slapped him. A shocked crowd went completely silent. Even Draco looked up form his friends in mild curiosity.

"You have NO right, to come into MY HOME, in MY PARTY, as MY GUEST and THREATEN ME!" she said, jabbing her finger with each raised word for emphasis. Nott Sr. was shocked, Narcissa looked scandalized. Nott Sr. however, recovered quickly and pushed her, hard causing her to stumble and fall onto the floor. Narcissa immediately unfroze and ran to her side, bending down to see if she was okay.

"What're you talking about, you vile creature? How DARE you man handle my guests?" said Draco, stomping furiously towards where everyone stood.

"See? Even your _fiancée_ wants nothing to do with you, you stupid bitch!" cackled Nott Sr. as someone cleared their throat from behind them.

"Draco, take Hermione upstairs. Narcissa, I believe it is time to announce dinner. Theodore, my friend, I am afraid I cannot tolerate any misbehavior by a guest towards relatives, even if Ms. Granger is related to us by law. You will not come into my home and insult my family. I think it is time for you to leave now. Loopy!" called Lucius, his face a deathly calm and his eyes dancing furious, "Please escort Mr. Nott and his _friend_ out the door."

And that was that. The man of the house had spoken. Nott Sr. looked like he wanted to argue, but the look on Lucius' face put him off. Narcissa straightened herself up and walked off the announce dinner. Draco looked furious, no, downright _murderous_. Hermione somehow, through all of this, felt grateful.

* * *

_East Wing,_

"How dare you embarrass us in this manner?" shouted Draco as soon as they reached their wing.

"How dare I embarrass you? How could you not see? That man was a scum bag! He literally felt me up! And all those things he said to me?" screamed Hermione, removing her shoes and throwing them aside.

"You did not honestly expect that you would get accepted in my society just because you're my _fiancée_, did you?" he bit back.

"No, I didn't! I don't want to be a part of your society if these are the kind of people present here!"

"You stupid bint! I think you paid of that rotten Weasley to team you up with me so that you could have all the name and riches to yourself. Poor, weak mudblood! I bet your parents are happy about this! Finally, their daughter will have enough food to eat and water to drink!" he spat out in disgust.

"Well, we'll never know that because THEY'RE DEAD!" she shouted, her determined and stubborn exterior finally shattering. Tears started to flow freely as she saw Draco's expression going from angry to surprise.

"Oh yes Malfoy, didn't see that one coming did you? Now why don't you run downstairs like the pathetic little boy that you are and go gloat to your friends about how finally, _finally_ after all these years, you got the mighty, know it all, mudblood Granger to cry! Just get LOST!" she shouted her voice cracking because of the tears as she stormed into the bathroom and shut the door, hard.

_What just happened?_

* * *

_Bathroom,_

She finally gave into the tears as she stood under the warm shower, sliding into a sitting position and drawing her knees closer to her chin. As if her eyes were jealous of the water already streaming down, they continued to tear up more. She just couldn't stop. What sin had she committed to be stuck in such a life?

* * *

_East Wing (meanwhile),_

Draco on the other hand sat on the bed, looking at the bath room door every 5 seconds. What had happened that night? He cursed Granger. That idiotic bint was the reason all this was happening. Palming his face and rubbing his eyes, he looked up just in time to see his parents stroll in. Wonderful.

* * *

**So lets see here, can we get the reviews upto say, 60? Come on, for every milestone created there will be virtual cookies! ;)**

**R.E.V.I.E.W.**


	8. Chapter 8

_Malfoy Manor,_

"Tea Cup?" she called softly, after crying herself hoarse, changing into a comfortable shirt and skirt combination and packing an overnight bag. She had made up her mind; nothing and I mean _nothing_ could force her to go back into that room now. True to his word, Tea Cup appeared almost instantly, bending so low that his nose touched the ground.

"Miss called?" he asked, still bowed low. She cleared her throat before speaking.

"I want you to Apparate me to the Burrow," she said, trying to smile slightly. The elf looked up curiously at her and seemed to be in internal conflict before daring to speak.

"Forgive Tea Cup for asking, but is Miss leaving?" he asked, as he stepped forward to take her bag.

"Only for tonight, although, I'd rather you not mentioning where I went to _anybody_. I just wish to be alone for a while. Could you do that for me Tea Cup?" she asked, handing her bag to him.

"Miss be rest assured! Tea Cup shall tell no one! Miss' secret is safe with Tea Cup!" he said, huffing gallantly (she must really be exhausted to be seeing that) and grabbing her hand before Apparating her away.

* * *

_The Burrow,_

Before she could try and make sense of exactly what was it that Tea Cup said, she found herself in the living room of the Burrow where Molly was seated, reading the Daily Prophet by the fire place.

"God heavens child!" she yelped, noticing her and jumping in fright, "You scared the life out of me! What are you doing here this late at night?" she said, setting down her tea and standing up, fussing with Hermione's night bag and ushering her into the recently renovated kitchen.

Hermione smiled weakly, and let herself be fussed over by Molly; partially because she missed that feeling of _home_ and partially because she was too _exhausted_ to even tell her to stop.

Her entrance and Molly's general rambling woke half the house it seemed, for Ron ambled down the stairs in his pajamas grumbling at the noise (_ahem_ RUCKUS) his mother was creating.

"Mum, what're you doing at this... Hermione!" he said, suddenly wide awake, as he rushed to her and hugged her warmly.

"Ron!" she said, smiling as she hugged him back. Then remembering the ordeal which she had had to go through tonight, she silently stunned him and forced him to the wall. Molly looked up in alarm.

"RONALD WEASLEY! How DARE you ABANDON me TODAY! YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING SON OF A-" she screamed, her wand out in a second as she pointed it at him. He couldn't move, but his eyes clearly gave away his fear.

"HERMIONE! ENOUGH!" shouted Molly as she scrambled forward and got a hold of her wand. In a second, Ron was released and he crumbled to the ground, heaving. She wasn't Hermione Granger, best friend of Rona nd Harry anymore; she was _Hermione Granger_, a woman scorned.

"Ron was that- HERMIONE!" Ginny squeaked as she ran forward from the stairs to meet Hermione, but slowed down as she saw her glare. Harry was right behind her.

The scene was like one from a high school drama. On one side stood the angered Queen, glaring daggers at her loyal friends as they cowered in fright.

"Hermione, we can explain-" Ron tried, getting up.

"THEN EXPLAIN! TELL ME, WHY IS IT THAT MY **BEST FRIENDS** ABANDONED ME WHEN **I** CLEARLY NEEDED THEM! EXPLAIN RONALD! GINERVA! HARRY!" she shouted, tears falling down her cheeks. She was truly sobbing again as she leaned against the kitchen counter and slid onto the floor, hugging herself again. Molly wisely stepped away from the kitchen; this was a best friend matter.

Ginny was the one that stepped forward. She sat down on her knees in front of Hermione and hugged her, holding onto her as she cried. Harry strode forward after a moment, hugging her as well. Ron was the last. All three held onto her as she screamed at the unfairness of it all.

* * *

_Meanwhile, Malfoy Manor,_

Draco looked up to see his parents walking into his (_hem, hem their)_ wing. Great, just great. He looked at them as his mother walked forward, looking every bit a Malfoy as she was. What he _expected_ was a scolding followed by a lecture. What he _didn't_ expect was his mother marching to him and then whacking him on the side of his head.

"Ow! What on earth was that for?" he cried, massaging the side of his head. He immediately regretted his casual question.

"I am _appalled_ at your behaviour Draco! How could you do this? I am severely disappointed at you. These past few days you have disregarded all the values we ingrained in you since childhood! Hermione is a wonderful girl and it is bad enough, now I realize that she has to be stuck with the likes of _you! _I want you to _fix_ this and NOW!" she said, her voice barely audible as Narcissa struggled to maintain her façade of calm and composed. After finishing her speech, she twirled around, her dress swirling dramatically and marched out of the bedroom.

Draco said nothing, how could he? He just dropped his head onto his palms. Lucius stood rooted in front of him, looking thoughtful and a little unsure.

"Draco, son, look at me," he started, still wondering how to go about putting Narcissa's words a little kindly. Draco slowly looked up, looking at him miserably.

"Draco, I shall not even pretend to be alright with your actions tonight. What you did was inexcusable and downright _cruel_. Your mother is right; I barely recognize you anymore. You're behaving like a child and a spoiled one at that. I thought you had changed Draco, I really did," he said, before sitting beside his son on the bed.

"I cannot pretend to know your mental turmoil as of now because, I did not face such a predicament while courting your mother. But you must realize that the society has changed and as a part of this unfortunate society, we have to change with it. What _we_ want you to do now is to apologize to Ms. Granger. _I_ will take care of the press come tomorrow. Okay?" he said, getting up and easing away invisible wrinkles on his robe before walking away. Remembering something, he turned around with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, and Draco?" he said, as Draco looked at him, "I would really appreciate you not annoying my wife, otherwise I shall make no promises of what I shall do to irritate yours."

That being said, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy walked out of the room.

* * *

_The Burrow,_

"We really are sorry Hermione; we really couldn't see what exactly happened. By the time we got to where you were standing, the scene had been cleared and Draco dragged you off," said Ginny, standing at the door of the bathroom while Hermione washed her face.

"It is alright Ginny, I'm sorry for bursting like that. Wait, hang on," Hermione replied, pointing her wand at her bag and wordlessly changing into her sleep wear. Ginny's jaw dropped.

Hermione mentally cursed for not packing a bit more carefully. Very tactfully, she had picked out the short, silk and green nighty to wear. Damn.

"What are you _wearing_?" Ginny stammered, not quite sure whether to laugh or faint in shock.

"I didn't pick it out. Narcissa just ambushed my wardrobe and threw out all of my comfortable clothes!" rambled Hermione was she packed her stuff back into the bag and walked out the door to their room. Harry and Ron were sitting on her bed discussing something. When she entered with Ginny in tow, they said nothing at her attire but merely raised their eyebrows.

"Oh shut up," she said, blushing. Ron snickered and Harry waggled his eyebrows at her comically as she and Ginny sat on Ginny's bed opposite to them.

"So, what're you going to do now?" asked Ron, rubbing the back of his neck, a tell tale sign of anxiousness.

"Yeah, Mi, will you go back?" asked Harry.

"No."

.

.

.

"I will be going to the Ministry tomorrow to petition against this law."

* * *

**Virtual cookies for the (wait for it...) 90TH REVIEWER** allthegoodnameshavebeentaken.** Confetti! Partyy! ME HAPPY! =D  
I am soo happy at the overwhelming response of the last chapter! 42 reviews! I nearly fainted at the sight! I love you all so much! And nothing I can say will adequately convey my regret at not updating like I had promised. I really, truly am sorry.**

**Let us try for a 100 reviews? please? **


	9. Chapter 9

**Before you start demanding to know where the _ real_ me is, let me tell you, I just couldn't wait to put up this chapter. It was so much fun to write!**

**Virtual cookies for the 99th reviewer, **DArk 16EtErnIty z8**! **

**Percy's position in all of this will be explained soon. I'm still not being able to decide whether I should make him a total git or a partial one. =P If you have any views on this, include it in your review!**

**Disclaimer: ****All recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. Rest all belongs to me.**

******XXOO**

******linux-Ginny**

* * *

Drama at the Manor

_Malfoy Manor,_

Draco kept waiting for her to come out of the bathroom. Now that all the drama with his parents was over, he really, _really_, needed to go take a leak. But she'd been there for like, an hour and had not been responding to his repeated knocks. For a moment he thought she'd drowned, but then he refuted this thought. Granger had _way_ too many balls to do something as rash as that.

Right?

Not wanting to barge in on her naked (belch), he called his elf, Missy. Missy appeared, bowing low.

"Master called?" she squeaked.

"Can you check to see if Granger is still n the bathroom? If she is, tell her that I need to use it _now_ so I'd appreciate it if she came out _now,"_ he said. Missy nodded and Disapparated.

Seconds later, she appeared again, looking slightly confused. "Master, she is not there," she replied.

"What? What do you mean not there?" said Draco, unlocking the door with his wand and barging inside only to find the bathroom clean, looking unused with no sign of her. How could she leave like this? Only Malfoy blood could Apparate in and out of the Manor. Maybe the wards recognised her as his intended? No, no, no. ELVES!

"Missy!" he called. She appeared again.

"I want you to go down and ask EVERY elf if they aided in her escape. Go now!" he said, before turning back to the bathroom. Suddenly, all calls from nature went ignored.

* * *

_Elf Hall, somewhere in the basement of the Manor,_

The elves were busy stowing away all the decorations after the party, chatting amongst themselves while they did so. The elf hall was _huge _(well, it had to be, to be able to house a few hundred elves), with one wall having bunks for them to sleep on. Another wall of the hall had workstations, where laundry, stitching etc. took place. One wall had been charmed to show a view from outside (like the ceiling in Hogwarts Great Hall). The fourth wall had numerous shelves where the things from the Manor like decorations were stored.

Missy Apparated into the middle of the room magically enhanced her voice and shouted.

"Attention everyone!"

All the elves stopped what they were doing and looked at her curiously. Tea Cup turned around abruptly.

"Master Malfoy wants to know at once which elf was responsible for letting Miss Granger leave."

A buzz went through the hall. Tea Cup cleared his throat and raised his hand slightly. Missy looked relieved.

"Oh good. Come with Missy at once then. He wants to know where Tea Cup took her," she said. Tea cup mumbled something, which led to the elves in his immediate vicinity gasping.

"What is it?" she asked, lowering her volume again.

"Tea Cup cannot tell Master Malfoy where Tea Cup took her because Miss made Tea Cup promise he won't tell," he said, louder this time. The entire hall fell silent. Missy looked scandalized.

"Come with Missy at once Tea Cup!" she said, moving forward, grabbing hold of his hand and Apparating them both away.

* * *

_West Wing, Malfoy Manor_

_Meanwhile,_

Narcissa marched around the room elegantly as she shook in fury. Having changed out of her gown, she put on her night clothes and paced around the room. Lucius watched her muttering while walking, while sitting on the bed, looking amused.

"Cissa, love, come to bed, it is late," he said softly, trying hard not to betray his amusement at his wife's behaviour. She suddenly snapped.

"How could he do this? How could Draco do this, Lucius? Has he no concern for our standing in society? Honestly, I am very annoyed at his behaviour," she said, looking at her husband, who sat tucked in bed with only his pajamas on. She narrowed her eyes when she saw amusement dancing in his eyes.

"So they fought dear. We already anticipated that, did we not?"

"But not like this. Teddy Sr.! How could he behave like this! Remind me Lucius, _never_ to invite him again! The good for nothing scum bag," she said, growling. Lucius couldn't help it; he actually grinned.

"So I shall my love. But please, I beg of you, come to bed," he said, removing the duvet on her side and patting the bed. She sighed and walked towards him. Sitting down next to him, she looked at him while he tucked her in bed and turned to her side, gathering her in an embrace before kissing her softly. She responded for a moment, before turning away.

"Nice try darling. But you shall not succeed tonight in distracting me," she said. Lucius looked disappointed for a moment, before sighing and turning to his side. Sometimes he found his wife too smart for her own good. Looking at her husband's expression, her expression softened, as she leaned towards him and kissed him again. They ignored the sound of someone Apparating into the room.

"AHH! My eyes!" shouted Draco before turning around. Lucius sighed and let go of his wife, while Narcissa hid, tucked into his shoulder.

"Draco! You know better then to barge into our room like this! Really, son! Are you trying to set the record for the most ill mannered child?" he scolded.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I was desperate!" said Draco, with is back towards him.

"What is it now, Draco?" said Narcissa, looking irritated. Draco turned around, looking shaken.

"Its Hermione, she has disappeared," he said. His parents froze for a moment before springing to action. Lucius jumped out of bed and grabbed his robe.

"What do you mean, _disappeared?_" his mother demanded.

"She was in the bathroom. She called Tea Cup and had him Apparate her somewhere," he explained.

"Well, then, ask him where he took her!" his father said, grabbing his staff/wand.

"That is the thing. She made him promise not to tell anyone and he's refusing to talk. I was hoping maybe you could-"

"TEA CUP!" shouted Narcissa. Tea Cup appeared, bowing low.

"Mistress called?" he said.

"Look up! Where did you take her?" she demanded.

"Tea Cup cannot say! Tea Cup promised Miss he wouldn't say! He squeaked, reaching out for the nearest object to bang his head against for not listening to his masters.

"ENOUGH! Tea Cup! Look at me!" said Lucius. Tea Cup let go of the vase and looked at his master fearfully.

"I need you to tell me where she is. She could be in danger," he said.

"No! Miss is safe! Miss go to her friends Manor! _Oh no!_" he squeaked before smacking himself on the forehead and placing another hand on his mouth.

"Which friend Tea Cup?" he asked again. Tea Cup shook his head.

"Tea Cup has said too much already! Tea Cup will go and place his hands in boiling water! _Bad Tea Cup!_" he squeaked.

"Stop it! Honestly, Tea Cup! What have I told you about punishing yourself? You will do no such thing! Understood?" said Draco, appalled at his elf's behaviour. The elves were strictly prohibited from doing something to themselves. What had Granger done to his elf?

"Tea Cup, you are dismissed," said Narcissa. When Tea Cup apparated away, she turned to her husband and son.

"There is only one place she could have gone at this hour of the night," she said.

"The Burrow," responded Draco, looking grim.

* * *

**Well?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry, sorry, sorry, if anyone of you got the alert and found this chapter deleted only to be uploaded again! I missed out some areas of editing and realized my mistake _ after_ I posted the chapter. Sorry!**

* * *

**3 chapters in 1 week! I am on a roll! Hahaha...**

**This chapter is shorter than the customary 3 pages I write on Word, but it is important.  
On a rather (sadly) duller side, the number of reviews for the last two chapters has taken a serious beating down. Might I ask why? Is what I wrote not good? I don't think I said this earlier, but as your writer, I appreciate constructive criticism, because I feel it helps me write better. So if y'all have any thoughts, ideas, objections etc. etc. let me _ know_ so that I can try and work on it. okay? **

**Disclaimer: ********All recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. Rest all belongs to me.**

******XXOO**

******linux-Ginny  
**

* * *

A shocking revelation

_The Burrow,_

Hermione's proclamation shocked all three of her friends into silence. They looked at her in awe, not quite knowing how to answer her. Ron managed to speak first.

"Bloody hell Hermione, that's bold, _really_ bold." She smiled a little at him before turning to everyone else.

"There might still be a chance to fight this thing; maybe, we're not looking at the bigger picture here. I have been having this feeling that something does not quite add up in this equation. I'd like to look into it further," she said.

"But didn't you already look it up once?" asked Harry.

"I did, but the events of tonight have made me realize that I wasn't looking in the right place. I will go tomorrow and have a word with Percy," she said firmly.

"If that's what you wish Mi," shrugged Ginny, though she looked shocked slightly.

"I think I've had enough drama for a _lifetime_ honestly. See you in the morning?" she asked, as she leaned over tug Ron and kiss Harry on his forehead. Giving them a lopsided grin, she shooed them away to their room, and both Ginny and Hermione settled into their respective beds.

* * *

_The Manor,_

_West Wing,_

"Draco, stop pacing like that. You're going to ruin the carpet," drawled Narcissa. Draco stopped walking around the carpet but looked up and scowled at his mother.

"Go to sleep son. We'll deal with this in the morning," said Lucius. Draco sighed and Apparated away.

* * *

_East Wing,_

Entering his, sorry, _their_ room, he silently changed for the night. It felt a little off tonight, without Hermione in the room.

He'd noticed that she was leaving early in the morning and deliberately returning later than usual. She'd been a walking zombie these past few days. She'd tried everything on her part to avoid him as usual; what she didn't notice was that Draco would be awake till the time he heard her enter their Wing and would be awake in the morning while she quietly walked into the bathroom to change and leave.

Until tonight, he hadn't even realized how much of her presence had caught his notice. And he still didn't know what possessed him to act like he had tonight. It wasn't like he believed in blood purity or anything, on the contrary he dealt with muggles everyday without a second thought. He used muggle inventions in office, like the iPhone and Mac book.

Dragging himself to bed, he wandlessly dimmed the light as he lay down facing the side Hermione slept on usually.

What had he done? And more importantly, what was he going to do?

* * *

_The Burrow,_

_Next Day,_

Hermione woke up later than usual. Stretching contently, she smiled lightly before all the events of last night came back to her. Groaning, she slapped a hand on her forehead and turned to get out of bed, only to realize that Ginny was nowhere to be seen.

Frowning slightly, she got up and went to get ready. Going downstairs, she noticed that no one else looked to be up yet, though she could hear Ginny and Molly talking in the kitchen. When she entered, they talk abruptly stopped. Molly hurried to her and gave her a bone crashing hug.

"Sit down dear, I'll make you some breakfast," she said, pulling out a chair for her to sit.

"No, I'm afraid Molly that I cannot sit for breakfast today. I have to head to the Ministry. I'll try and leave as early as possible. Okay," she said, kissing her on the cheek and waving at Ginny before Apparating away.

"See what I told you? She's too adamant at fighting this thing! She's not even trying, ma!" said Ginny.

"Give her time to sort herself out, Ginny. I'm sure she'll come around. I have known Draco for a few months now. Surely, they will get through this," said Molly.

* * *

_Percy's office,_

"Mr. Weasley, a Ms. Granger is here to see you," said Anne, his assistant through the intercom.

"Send her in," he replied, distractedly while signing some papers. Hermione entered, looking slightly anxious and worried about Percy's reaction to her, especially after her display at the Ball.

"Have a seat, Ms. Granger," he said politely. Hermione flinched; he was being formal, damn it. He straightened himself up and looked at her intently. Truth be told, his curiosity was burning him from the inside; what did she want now?

"I am going to be straightforward with you. I am here to petition against the Law," said Hermione, pulling out the parchment where she had hurriedly jotted down the requirements for the petition in the morning.

"I can't say I'm surprised to see you here... I was half expecting Malfoy to march into this room demanding that _you_ be carted off to a mental asylum. I see you beat him to it, as always," he said, smiling slightly. Hermione blushed but held his gaze.

Sighing warily, he snatched up the parchment she held out and scanned it quickly. Setting it down on his desk, he removed his reading glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, as if trying to settle a headache. Getting up, he pointed his wand at the door and wordlessly locked and silenced it. Hermione looked at him all the while, looking confused.

"I want you to promise me that you will repeat what I am about to tell you to _no one_. Can you do that for me?" he said, looking at her while standing in front of her, leaning towards the desk. Hermione nodded mutely, wondering what brought this on.

"It would be insulting to you if I were to bind us both in a Vow, Hermione, as I am well aware of you penchant for keeping secretswhen asked. However, it bears repeating; you _cannot_ repeat this to _anyone_ no matter what." Hermione nodded again this time, her curiosity burning in her veins.

"You cannot reproduce with anyone other than Malfoy."

* * *

**Virtual cookies _and_ confetti for the 100th reviewer **jamielynn25**! And a cupcake for the 105th ****reviewer** flowerNfreaks**!**

**How'd you like this chapter?**

**_Coming up next: Percy explains everything (mostly) _**

**R.E.V.I.E.W.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I totally forgot to post this one. I had finished it ages back, and forgot! Can you believe it?**

**This chapter is dedicated to **toogoode99 **for being the 135th reviewer!**

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong J.K.R. Rest all belongs to me!**

**XXOO**

**linux-Ginny**

* * *

Meet your Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather

_Percy's Office,_

Hermione looked at him for a second, long and hard. She then burst out laughing. Percy kept looking at her calmly, waiting for her to finish. But one look at him sent her spiraling into laughter again.

"Are you quite done?" said Percy, clearly annoyed.

"I am," she said, coughing a bit and straightening up. "You do you mean _"can't reproduce with anyone other than Malfoy'_?"

"I mean exactly what I say. You two are a perfect genetic match which guarantees that your off spring will be a wizard. The probability of you two producing a magical child is 100%. For the both you, it goes down exponentially if you try with anyone else."

"How is that possible? He is a part of an age old Wizarding family!"

"In-breeding," said Percy simply, as if it was the obvious thing in the world. Hermione looked shocked, waiting for him to continue.

"What I am about to tell you _now_ is even more than Top Secret. I hope you realize how much I am risking telling you this," he said, crossing his arms.

"6 generations ago, the two most powerful families of the wizarding world, Malfoy and Gregorian's existed. Due to rapid in breeding, the wizarding world reached a saturation level, where it was ascertained that if pureblooded families married amongst each other again, their children would be squibs. Malfoy's found a loop hole in the clause; Eduard Malfoy married a Veela to ensure the purity of his family. Arthur Gregorian did not yield to this and married a pureblooded woman, Tianna. Together they produced 4 stillborns and one squib. In his anger, Arthur banished Tianna to the muggle world to raise her 'demon' child on her own. He then proceeded to remarry several times, but all his heirs did not survive. With him came the end of the Gregorian's."

"So? How does that pertain to us in any way? I mean, I am a muggle born witch. My guarantee tag is even less than the regular witches."

"Did you know, Hermione, that all muggle born witches and wizards are descendants of wizarding families?" said Percy, smiling slightly.

"That may be, but nobody in my family can do magic."

"True, but they _could_. Most, not all, but _most_ muggleborn wizards descend from squibs of a particular family. There is a slight deviation in a wizards DNA structure, one that gives them the ability to do magic. However, saturation of that deviation can lead to it missing a generation or two at times, depending on how powerful the family is. This means that the more 'pure' the family is, the more likely that there will be a miss longer than one generation."

"Oh my," said Hermione, as the pieces of the puzzle started to fall in place slowly.

"Oh my indeed," nodded Percy, agreeing.

But that's impossible! You can't prove it! It's all circumstantial!" said Hermione, standing up suddenly.

"There is one way to prove it, but we may have to take a field trip," said Percy, leaning over his table backwards to pick up his coat from his chair.

* * *

_Gregorian Manor,_

Percy led her to a gate overlooking a desolate looking Manor that had most certainly seen better days. It was huge, possibly as big as the Malfoy Manor, if not more. Surprisingly, it was located near the Malfoy Manor too. Hermione was surprise that she hadn't noticed it before. But the differences between the exterior of the Manors were prevalent. While the Malfoy Manor was black from the outside with a labyrinth like entrance, the gates of the Gregorian Manor was more elegant and inviting. It was surrounded by a boundary wall that was covered with creepers and wild shrubbery that needed some serious attention. To the right of the gate on the boundary wall, it read 'Gregorian' with giant gold letters. She realized it was gold after she rubbed off the dust from it. This was unreal.

"Now, only a Gregorian family member can open this gate. Anyone else who touches this gate gets deflected about 20 yards backwards. So, you stand here, and wait for my signal to open the gate," he said, stepping back, and conjuring up a giant cushion at a distance. She looked at him; he nodded, with his wand at the ready.

Taking a deep breathe, she moved forward and pressed her hand for a millisecond at the centre of the gate. The gate groaned; she stepped back in fear, clutching her wand. Dust flew in the air as the gate moved.

Slowly, the rusted gate opened.

* * *

**More later! I'll write a huge next chapter, promise.**

**Love!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Don't shoot me. I mean it. I really messed up with the previous chapters, and I apologize for any inconveniences caused.  
I meant to update for a long time; I just couldn't write it well enough to post it.  
_On a side note, Has anyone noticed how all the good writers are leaving because of the change in the ratings? It is a big bummer. You guys should sign the petition. It is really discouraging to see great writers leaving because some people didn't pay heed to the warnings issued by them for their stories._**

**Coming back...**

**Cookies for **janjan2009** for being the 145th reviewer!**

**I'm Slytherin in Pottermore. Just FYI. :D**

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. Rest all belongs to me!**

**XXOO**

**linux-Ginny**

* * *

_Gregorians Manor,_

Hermione felt numb. She couldn't feel anything in her body as she walked through the gates onto a wide cobblestone path surrounded by shrubs that had been recently cut precisely to match perfect spheres. The only things that she could feel were blood, roaring in her ears and her heart hammering at infinite speeds. While her eyes took it all in, a part of her brain refused to believe what she was seeing. How could this _be?_

The garden was well kept, with the grass cut perfectly and fountains like the one she had seen in Rome littered everywhere. There were numerous flower patches all over the place, some of rose, some of Calla lilies and many of Calatheas.

The path was long and it led to a manor, not bigger than but definitely as big as the Malfoy manor. While the Malfoy manor was dark, this one was brightly coloured, with large windows visible.

Percy walked beside her, just as in awe as her. He kept taking notes furiously, muttering at his quill, looking up once in a while before burying himself in the parchment.

She looked on as they walked, finally reaching the stairs that led to a huge wooden and iron door. It had beautiful floral creepers winding across the iron framework.

Before she could push them open, it opened on its own accord, revealing a tiny house elf dressed in a housemaids' uniform. She looked at Percy curiously, her ears drooping. She then looked at Hermione. As comprehension dawned on her features, her ears perked up. She bent immediately, her nose touching the ground.

"Mistress Gregorian! Me said you come! _Oh!_" it squeaked, her voice cracking rather weirdly, as though she was sobbing.

Hermione pinked; she didn't quite know how to react. Before she could articulate a response, three more elves popped up. Each one was dressed in a butlers' uniform. One looked sleepy, one looked grumpy and one looked happy. Oh, the irony, thought Hermione

"Petra? What is you doing? Kittler told you to clean the _cupboards-_" started Grumpy before looking up at Hermione. The poor elf nearly fainted on sight.

"Mistress Gregorian! Kittler is sorry mistress! Kittler didn't _notice-_" he started rambling before Hermione cut.

"It's OK KITTER!" she said over his frenzied apologies. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she noticed more and more elves popping in, crowding the marble hallway. Oh, Morgana.

Percy nudged her out of the slight hysteria that had started to slip in. She cleared her throat and managed a small smile; though she was quite convinced it looked like a grimace more than anything else.

"Hello. My name is Hermione Granger and this is my... friend, Percy Weasley. If one of you could please lead us to your housekeeper, we will be highly obliged," she said, secretly proud of the fact that her voice didn't crack.

The elves started whispering amongst themselves. Some looked at her suspiciously. _Huh._ Maybe she should've called herself Hermione Gregorian; too late for that now.

Petra turned around and beckoned them to follow. The crowd parted, giving them way to go.

The hallway had a high ceiling with yellow lights, Muggle, Hermione noticed, frowning slightly. It was full of decorations from all over the world, including a giant vase from China and a statue from Greece. There were a few portraits too, though they were all sceneries. The people in the painting stopped whatever they were doing and stared at her.

The hallway opened up to a large living room which had French doors on one side leading to a patio on one side. There was a magnificent chandelier in the centre, lit by thousands of gleaming lights.

So enraptured was she that she didn't notice the person sitting on the sofas that occupied the centre of the room.

"Hermione..." said Percy, his eyes widening as he noticed the person.

"What?"

"Look there..."

"Look wh- GRAN?"

Surely enough, sitting on the sofa, sipping tea out of a china and gold laden cup was her grandmother. Gran. She smiled slightly, setting down her cup as she motioned Petra to leave.

"Hello, dear."

Hermione was shocked. No, she was _beyond_ shocked. How could this be? Gran was a muggle. She didn't know wizards existed before Hermione got her letter to Hogwarts. She wanted to her move back to the muggle world once the marriage law had been passed. _Gran_.

"I think you should sit down dear, while I explain myself," she continued, nodding in acknowledgement at Percy, who moved to sit down.

Barely comprehending what she was doing. Hermione went and sat, directly across her grandmother.

"Before I begin, would you like something? Lemonade, perhaps?" she said, mentioning her granddaughters' favorite beverage.

"No, thank you," she replied tightly. This was too much, way too much for a person, a _sane_ person to comprehend in _one day_. No more! Begged her mind.

"I'm not really sure how to articulate this, perhaps before I gather myself, you would like to ask some questions?" asked Gran, looking concerned at the lack of response from Hermione. Hermione finally found a voice.

"What is really going on? Who are you really? Who am I really?" she asked, feeling dazed.

"I'd like to believe that since you and Mr. Weasley are here, you already know about your ancestry, however vaguely. Eduard Gregorian banished his first wife, Tianna with their squib son, Arden Gregorian. Tianna moved to a tiny town in the countryside, and raised that child as her own. While she didn't tell him outright about his lineage, she told him about the glory of Grangers, a mythological family that was the most powerful in the whole wide world.

What she didn't anticipate was Eduard not having any other children. When he died, as per the old rules of the family, the heir of the previous master, whether male or female had to take over the duties of the Manor; the Manor couldn't be left without a master at any time. Since Arden was the only surviving relative, the family Priest handed over the responsibility to him.

However, considering that he was a squib, it was decreed that Arden and his descendants were to become caretakers of the Manor, till such time that magic would reappear in the family blood.

Tianna was then forced to reveal to her son everything, including her husbands' abandonment. When Arden was of age, he took over the Manor's responsibilities, but he couldn't do more than be dignified a caretaker. He had to go underground and was forced to change his identity since it would do the family no good if it were revealed that a Squib was taking over a Purebloods' Manor. He then chose the surname, Granger, based on the stories his mother told him as a child.

Then so on, his daughter took over the reigns of the Manor. By the time it was handed down to Arden's great-grandson, the Manor had fallen to disuse.

When your father inherited it, he took great care to revive and improvise the Manor. I remember to this day, how he had returned home one day after the visit to this Manor, determined. He told me that the real owner of this Manor was coming soon, and that he had to clean it up when they came. I laughed it off then, thinking it was just his imagination running wild. You were still in your mother's womb then.

Imagine my surprise when he called me up on day to tell me about your letter! We were beyond amazed at his premonition. Lira and he became more frequent in their visits here once you started at Hogwarts. Lira cleaned up this place, adding her own touch in places, smiling at the thought that her daughter wouldn't have to worry about a roof over her head and money in her pocket once school was done. They were just about done with their renovations when you sent them to Australia. I had to take over the Manor again, hoping that they would be back soon enough. Unfortunately, they died before Lira could complete all the rooms. I then took it upon myself to do up the last rooms."

"Where does the law come into all of this?" asked Hermione.

"I was getting to that. One day, I was going through one of the books in the library of this Manor. It talked about the 'Squib Revelation', as the wizards referred to it at that time. It talked in detail about the sudden onslaught of stillborns and squibs and the factors leading to it.

In it, there was an old parchment, used as a bookmark on a page. When I turned it over and realized it was a prophecy. It stated that such a phenomenon would occur again, and vaguely stated its time period. When I realized what exactly it was and its catastrophic effects if avoided, I contacted the Ministry immediately, using that Owl you gave me. Naturally, I wasn't taken seriously. Somehow, I got in contact with Percy here; I remembered you telling me he was in the ministry at a high post. He researched for me and found that indeed, such a phenomenon would occur again if not addressed. One thing led to another, and now, here we are," said Gran.

Hermione let out a breath, one that she didn't know that she was holding. So this was it then. This was the reason she was a witch, an astonishingly powerful one at that. But then, if there was a threat of inbreeding and she was a part of a pureblood family, how could she work with Malfoy. As though eh read her mind, Percy answered.

"Malfoy's are an old family, with possibly the purest blood you will find in the wizarding world in terms of the probability of producing magic off spring. Your blood is technically new since magic of your family has manifested itself in you for the first time in nearly 600 years. That way, you both are evenly matched, thereby pushing up your possibility of producing magic kids by 97%," he said, in a textbook voice.

"Spiffing. Fan-Fucking-tastic"

* * *

**Well? CAn we reach atleast 160 reviews with this one? Some one! I worked really hard on it! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Before you assault me in your reviews, let me just say that this chapter is short and it may seem filler, but it is a necessary one. **

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. Rest all belongs to me!  
XXOO  
linux-Ginny**

* * *

_Gregorians Manor,_

Hermione didn't quite know what to say anymore. Her mind had shut down, profusely refusing anymore changes in her life. What more could possibly happen?

What she did not notice were her grandmother and Percy, talking quietly with each other, looking up at her once in a while with worried looks on their faces. She was way too absorbed in her inner rambling to notice even when Gran looked up to say something to her. Percy nudged her gently. She started.

"What?" she snapped.

"As I was _saying, _would you like a tour of the Manor?" asked Gran, looking pointedly at her.

"I-uh- no. No. Actually, I just remembered, I have work to do. I should be heading back to the Burrow to catch up with it. I have court tomorrow. The Youzhny case. Sorry," she babbled hastily, before getting up to leave. Anymore of this, and she would explode! She _had_ to get away. Before anyone could even reply, she briskly walked out, out the gates of the Manor and apparated into the Burrow.

* * *

_The Burrow,_

Molly Weasley was relaxing on the sofa, taking notes while watching a muggle cooking show. Arthur had insisted on buying a telly after the war and she had resisted vehemently. But now, even though she would _never_ admit it outright, she was grateful for caving in at the time.

Hermione apparated suddenly into the room; Molly fell off the couch, startled. Immediately, Hermione was beside her, helping her up and apologizing fervently. Laughing it off good naturedly, Molly sat down next her, puling Hermione with her onto the sofa.

"So dear, how was your visit to Percy's office? Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked. Hermione swallowed a lump that suddenly appeared in her throat. She just couldn't talk about it, not right now atleast. Had she found what she was looking for? Nope, quite the contrary; she'd lost everything she'd ever had.

"I did, sort of," she replied, smiling tightly. Molly got up, walking towards the kitchen.

"Well, that is good then. About time, I say. It was like I was telling Draco-"

"Wait, Draco was here?"

Molly froze and mentally smacked her forehead. She had promised Draco that she wouldn't mention his visit earlier today. Oh Merlin.

"Yes, he was here, a while back. Narcissa needed something," she said, hiding her face as she pretended to look for something in the cupboard. Hermione's suspicion peeked.

"Why didn't she send an elf then?" she asked, moving to stand behind Molly. Red ears while talking was a classic indicator that a Weasley was lying.

"I don't know. Move aside dear," said molly, pushing her out of the way to get a head start on supper; _anything_ to get away from Hermione at the moment. She busied herself cutting vegetables for soup.

"Well, what did he want?" probed Hermione, still suspicious of Molly's behaviour.

"It was a package, of a _private_ nature. Honestly! One would think that you are an auror, not a lawyer!" laughed Molly, though the message was clear: _it's none of your business_. Hermione scowled but said nothing. If there was one thing that was evident in Molly's voice, it was that Draco had been here sometime today and most probably, it was _not_ for Narcissa.

* * *

_Malfoy Inc.,_

Draco was staring at the golden coloured liquid in the crystal glass in his hand, hard. It was barely 3 in the afternoon, and here he was, drinking. In his office. Alone. _What was Hermione doing to him?_

He'd followed his mother's advice and gone to the Burrow in the morning. While he hadn't met Hermione (he felt oddly thankful for that now), he _had_ met Mrs. Weasley. Their conversation was what he was brooding over presently.

"_I will not pretend to be unaware of your current predicament, Draco and I will not pretend that it isn't your fault. While I realize that what you and Hermione decide to in the future is a business that is your own, I must tell you this: Hermione has a family bigger than your own, people who care about her and who will go to the end of this world to see to her happiness. Unfortunately for you, I happen to be one of them. She is like the daughter I always wanted, besides Ginny. So what I will tell you is this; fix this and NOW," said Mrs. Weasley, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze that made him oddly uncomfortable._

_Swallowing his pride and dignity and schooling his features to kill the grimace on his face, he finally spoke._

"_Tell me how."_

Well, suffice to say, she had said a _lot_ of things. And he'd just sat there, listening to everything she had to say. While he still wasn't quite sure of the nature of his relationship with Hermione, he knew that he had to fix that which had been broken. As the days had passed, it had become more and more evident that this ridiculous law was here to stay, atleast for now. Because of this goddamned law, he had to live with this woman for the rest of his life. And as Mrs. Weasley had put it, he could either do that scowling or smiling; currently he held the power to choose.

So that was that. He'd go back to Hermione, ask for her forgiveness, she would forgive him (being the annoyingly conscientious Gryffindor that she was) and he would become friends with her. Then everything would go back to normal. She would go back to her life of avoiding him as much as is possible, living under one roof and sharing a bed, and he would let her. There. Mother would be ecstatic, father would be pleased and conscience would clean.

So lost was he in his thoughts that he didn't notice when his father knocked twice and entered. He didn't even notice when Malfoy Sr. proceeded to pour himself a glass of water. He _still_ didn't notice when his father sat across from him and took a sip, waiting patiently for his son to wake up from his dream.

Draco suddenly snapped out of his mental retreat and took a sip from the glass, only to notice his father sitting across him, smiling. Too late, he realized, as he choked and coughed slightly.

"Drinking in the middle of the day, son? Not quite your style as much as it has been mine. Should I be worried about you emulating me?" said Lucius, his right eyebrow slightly up, mocking him.

"I wouldn't start the celebration so soon Father," replied Draco coolly, "What are you doing here?"

"Forgive me, but I wasn't quite aware that I needed an appointment to visit my son at work," said Lucius, eyeing Draco's Firewhiskey.

"Nice try. What do you really want?" said Draco, noticing his father's line of vision and quickly vanishing the bottle and glass of Firewhiskey.

"Fine, you caught me. How did your visit to the Burrow go?" asked Lucius.

"Unfruitful. Granger wasn't there. She has gone to Minister Weasel to see if she can get herself out of our pending marriage," he scowled, wishing he hadn't vanished the Firewhiskey.

"I see. Well, suffice to say, you _failed_," said Lucius, his face expressionless but his tone cutting. Draco winced at the word failed. It was rather intriguing that most, if not all failures in his life figured Granger in them. Bloody wench.

"I have not _failed_. There is no need to write me off this early. It has been only a day since she left," retorted Draco. Lucius slammed the desk with his fist, standing up in the process.

"She should not have left in the first place, you insolent boy! Your lack of morals and immaturity has landed you in this mess. If you know what is good for you, _fix this NOW._ Otherwise, don't bother coming home tonight, am I clear?" he hissed.

"Crystal."

* * *

**And I'm back! In 2 days! B-) **

**Am I cool or _what?_ hehehe.**

**Confetti for **RebeccaAlice** for being the 155th reviewer!  
We unfortunately couldn't reach 160. But, no worries. :)  
Do I see a 170? 170, Anyone?**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm back! Haha. Sorry for the delay guys. Life got in the way. :/**

**Thank you guys for all the reviews though. Unfortunately, I'm too tired to count and declare this time's winner. Hope you guys enjoy this one!**

**=] **

* * *

_Dinner Table Poker Dynamics_

_The Burrow,_

That evening saw a new drama unfold in the Burrow. Hermione had suddenly decided to return to the Manor and was packing her meager belongings into a transfigured overnight bag. For those who weren't aware of her current mental turmoil, it seemed like she'd caved in a day. To those in the know, there was only sympathy to be seen radiating for her predicament.

Hermione had decided since her little trip that until and unless she found out the complete truth, she wouldn't mention her trip to any of the others. Percy had told her seriously that by telling her this before the world, he had actually risked his job and hence hoped that she wouldn't reveal anything till he told her to. She had gladly consented; unwarranted publicity was the last thing that she needed right now.

"You don't have to go, Hermione. You can stay here as long as you like, you know that. The Burrow is your home!"said Ginny, watching her move about the room, collecting her things.

"I know that Ginny, but imagine the embarrassment that Narcissa will be feeling right now! it has already been a day and everybody who was at the party would've already concocted wild tales about the incident. Besides, I only came here to clear my head. And my head is now cleared!" replied Hermione, feigning a grin. Ginny narrowed her eyes.

"There is something that you are not telling me. What is it? Did he threaten you or something? Because we can totally take him," she said, sitting up straighter. Hermione only gave the look that clearly said _as is_.

"But really, if you want to go back, you can go back tomorrow! At least have dinner with us tonight," she pleaded.

"I can't. I really need to get back. I even missed work today. McLaggen would've had field day with the Youzhny case," sighed Hermione.

* * *

_The Manor, an hour later,_

Narcissa Malfoy sat in her patio, sipping tea and watching the sunset. It had been her favorite pass time as a young girl, and it remained so today. She smiled slightly, remembering the time when her family hadn't been torn apart by Andromeda's rebellion and Bella's dark magic.

She felt a sudden buzz in the air, signaling that someone had just floo'd in. Frowning slightly, she tried to recall if there was someone expected today. It wasn't like her to forget social meetings like this. It couldn't be Hermione, could it?

At first she considered calling on her personal elf, Robin to check. But somehow curiosity won her out. She got up and walked briskly to the main parlor. There was nobody there. She narrowed her eyes and apparated to Hermione's wing. As she entered, she noticed a hand bag tossed onto the bed and smiled broadly.

"Hermione?" she called out before entering the bedroom.

Hermione started. She hadn't quite expected anybody to be home at this hour. Lucius was usually away on work, as was Draco. Narcissa usually had social calls to attend. Why oh why was she home _today?_ Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the bathroom to greet her future mother in law.

"Oh dear, it is such a relief to have you back! You had me and Lucius worried!" Narcissa said, as she drew her in for a hug. Hermione stiffened in shock. Narcissa wasn't one to hug usually.

"Yeah, about that. I am sorry if I had you worried. I just needed to clear my head after all that happened," she replied, feeling truly sorry. In the days that she had spent in the Manor, she'd actually come to like Narcissa. Narcissa frowned delicately and guided her towards the sofa.

"I would like to personally apologize for that wretched man's behavior the other night, love. I have made sure that his name will not be included in future invites," she said, trying to stall the Draco issue.

"Oh no, that's fine. It wasn't your fault. And thank you for that. I wasn't quite sure I could tolerate this man in any other events anyway," replied Hermione, giving her a half-hearted lopsided grin. Narcissa noticed her dull expression and decided to address Draco's behavior as well.

"Look, I know it isn't much of a consolation, but I would like to apologize for Draco's behavior as well. Growing up, I tried to keep him as far away from hatred as possible. But it wasn't possible all the time. I just wish that this doesn't change anything. He's a good boy, he just needs some clarity in life and thought, something I know you will be able to provide if you give him a chance. Please don't write off completely yet," she pleaded, looking into Hermione's eyes directly. They looked pained. But the girl, to her credit, managed to smile, however insincere it seemed.

"Of course Narcissa. I understand," she said. Narcissa's expression brightened.

"Now, you go take a bath. I will go and inform in the kitchens that it is a meal for four tonight, alright dear?"

* * *

_Hours Later,_

Draco sighed heavily as he apparated into the parlor after work. His father's warning still rang loud and clear in his head. He had truly failed.

Dejected, he trudged to the dining room to eat before he went upstairs. he felt jittery, almost as if his body could anticipate the sheer humiliation he was about to face. Stupid father and his stupid smug face sipping the stupid wine after the stupid glass.

He sat down in his usual place and didn't look up, expecting the cursing to begin. To his surprise, Narcissa smiled at him and asked him how his day was. Lucius didn't say anything, but he didn't look smug either. What on earth was happening?

Narcissa was actually enjoying herself. She had already told Lucius about Hermione's arrival earlier this evening. Fortunately for them, Draco had chosen to eat before retiring to bed. Was he in for a surprise. Hermione had chosen to eat upstairs, claiming that she was tired. Narcissa could barely contain her excitement.

Draco narrowed his eyes. Something was up. Lucius looked deceptively calm. If one looked at Narcissa carefully, she seemed to be suppressing her excitement. For the love of Merlin, could somebody please tell him what was going on? But no. he would not beg. He would not break. He was still a Slytherin after all. He wouldn't let Lucius have the satisfaction.

Lucius was secretly feeling very proud of his son at this particular moment. Proud because he could tell that Draco knew something was going on yet he chose not to grovel or beg to know. Proud that he hadn't broken yet, even though he was trying very, _very hard_ not to. His wife, however, was a different story all together. She looked like a sugar rushed child! He frowned mentally at her. Women.

Draco cleared his throat. "I think I will be retiring to bed now. I have another long day tomorrow. I'll probably be stopping over at the Burrow before I go to work," he said, mentally bracing himself for the verbal onslaught. Lucius sighed mentally, shaking his head. His idiot of a son had finally broken.

Narcissa smiled and wished him good night. Lucius nodded curtly. Draco frowned. WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS GOING ON?

* * *

_Their Wing, 5 minutes later,_

Draco entered his wing to find it dark. Usually, when someone entered, it automatically lit up, provided someone was already in the room... He drew out his wand slowly, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light. While it was highly unlikely that someone uninvited would get past the millions of wards around the Manor, he was not going to take any chances.

_"Lumos_," he whispered. There seemed to be something/someone on his bed, but he couldn't be too sure from this part. He crept slowly in the dark, letting the wand light and the moonlight coming in from the French windows guide him. He passed by the drawing room and slowly entered the bedroom. The figure moved. Wait, it couldn't be Hermione, could it? He waved his wand once more. The lights came on. Hermione stirred. For the love of God!

Draco saw her signature wild bed hair and sighed with relief. That was why mother and father didn't say anything. She was back already. But she seemed to be asleep. He felt like he should wake her up talk, apologize, _anything._ But he couldn't. Not now, not like this. He walked into the bathroom to change, after switching the lights off.

Hermione lay beneath the covers with her heart hammering against her chest. She had actually expected him to say something. Obviously, she would not have listened. But still, she'd expected him to try. Now, she was nursing a bruised ego.

* * *

**Do I see a 200, 200 anyone? =P**

**Let me know what you thought in your reviews!**


	15. Chapter 15

**And I'm back again! Ha.**

**This chapter is dedicated to RahRast, my friend and a batch mate who passed away today in the morning because of a cardiac arrest. He was just 18. Needless to say, we're all still pretty shocked. I'll miss you, bro. 3**

**Disclaimer: Al recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. Rest all belongs to me.**

**XXOO**

**linux-Ginny **

* * *

Plans and plans

Draco came out of the bathroom dressed in the usual black silk bottoms to go to sleep in when he noticed Hermione sitting on the bed with her arms crossed. He gulped silently and prayed for strength. Regaining his impassive expression, he nodded curtly in her direction before moving towards his side swiftly.

Hermione was fuming. Here was an _infuriating_ man who had insulted her publicly and now bruised her ego. Public humiliation she could forgive. But not the hurt ego.

"As you can see, your fiancée is back. Aren't you going to greet me, _darling_?" she said, her voice buried in sarcasm. Draco winced. He had forgotten she had an ego to match his. Fatal move by someone who was supposed to be smart. He turned to her and smiled slightly.

"I thought you were asleep. I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm sorry if I did," he said politely, getting under the covers and waving his wand to turn off the lights. They came back on again; Hermione really meant business.

"No. No more. I refuse to be part of this active charade of dancing around each other anymore. We're supposed to be getting married, remember? How will we live our lives then? _Avoiding each other?_" she said sharply, poking him awake. He sighed, sat up and looked at her, his eyes weary.

"What do you want me to say?" he said.

"You can start by apologizing," she said, tilting her head to look into his eyes.

"Fine. I'm sorry."

"Good."

"But you should know, this is your fault too."

"_What_?"

"We both lived under the same roof for nearly a fortnight and yet I never saw you. I wonder why."

"I was working! Some people _work_ for a living, Malfoy!"

"Even the weekends?" he challenged. "Do you really want me to believe, that at the pitiful salary you get, you, being the smartest person of our generation work for 140 hours in a week for _fun?_"

"...Yes!"

"Oh come off it! I saw McLaggen at the Tavern all 3 days on the weekend! And I know you both are working for the same case."

"This conversation is over," she said, coolly.

"No. Don't shut it all up. You are right. We have to talk about this. Now is as good a time as any. If I let you go now, you'll disappear again."

"I said no!"

"YOU SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME! I AM SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR SELF-RIGHTEOUS ATTITUDE! YOU DON'T GET TO DECIDE WHEN AND WHERE WE TALK! WE HAVE A PROBLEM, HERMIONE, AND WE NEED TO FIX THIS BEFORE IT SPIRALS OUT OF CONTROL! I WANT TO MAKE THIS WORK, BUT YOU ARE MAKING THIS MORE COMPLICATED THAN THIS NEEDS TO BE!" he roared, jumping out of the bed and facing her. She looked shocked.

"...What do you want to talk about?"

Draco took a deep breath to calm himself. If he wanted to get his point across, he would have to be rational and put his point forward logically. He knew from prior experience that logic spoke to Granger.

"We started on the wrong foot. It is the fault of our own. I had thought that we would be over and above the whole blood enmity thing. I admit it. It is my fault to an extent. I treated you as an acquaintance rather than family. I'm sorry. If you are willing, I'd like to start over," he offered. Hermione was rendered speechless. Was this some kind of plot?

"Fine. As you wish. But what do you have in mind?" she said.

"Lunch at least once in a week, to begin with. And you will give me the chance to take you out on dinners stuff. And I want you to genuinely try to make this work. I want us to be a normal couple, well, as normal as we can be."

"Sounds rational enough. But you have to promise me to give me space when I need it, as I will promise for you. I have hardly ever 'dated' anyone before and you will have to give me time to adjust to the idea," she said, slowly trying to gauge his mood. He didn't look stoned or high; was it a new wizard drug that she hadn't heard about?

"Fine. Done. Ah yes. And weekends. Take time off whenever you can," he said, sitting down on the bed again, not breaking eye contact even once. Hermione looked sheepish.

"I actually do have a holiday on the weekend. I was working extra these last few weeks. But, ok." Draco smiled inwardly. He knew it!

Hermione gave him a small smile, before settling under the covers to sleep. She knew that she had to tell Draco about her actual family for he deserved to know the truth. But somehow, she could not get herself to do it. Not now.

* * *

_Next morning_

Draco woke up at 9 when the sunlight hit his face through the curtains and he could no longer avoid the impending day. He stretched leisurely, as was his custom and felt the right side of the bed for Hermione. Ever since she had moved in, he'd done that in the hopes of finding her in bed for once when he woke up. His hopes had been given hope after last night's conversation. However, much to the disappointment of his hopes, she wasn't there. Just as his temper started to build at her behavior, the bathroom door swung open and out walked Hermione, towel drying her hair while wearing a bathing gown. He looked at her with a slight frown marring his features. She saw him looking at her and smiled widely.

"Good Morning, sleepy head. Took you long enough to wake up," she said cheerfully, sitting down on her side of the bed. Draco must have looked dazed because she laughed. _She has a good laugh, _he noted absently, shaking the thought away as soon as it crossed his mind.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" he asked, looking at her suspiciously. She didn't look stoned or high; was it a new wizard drug that he hadn't heard about?

"I figured I'd take the day off, spend it with Narcissa. You're welcome to join us if you like" she added. It wasn't entirely true. She had actually intended to work from home today. She figured she'd have to ask Narcissa before installing wi-fi in the Manor.

"I can come home early, although I have a meeting around lunch that I have to attend. I can be home for lunch, if you'd like," he said, mentally cataloging his schedule for the day.

"Great. See you at lunch then. Now go. Get ready. You'll be late for work," she said, shoving him playfully. Draco raised a pale eyebrow. He waved his hand to open the curtains before getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom. Hermione stared.

The light really did do justice to his abs. Oh, good Lord.

* * *

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	16. Chapter 16

**Hello:)**

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. Rest all belongs to me.**

**XXOO**

**linux-Ginny**

* * *

_Malfoy Manor,_

"So, this wi-fi thing, it helps you to access the internet and you use that to research?" enquired Narcissa, he face giving away the confusion she was feeling. Hermione bit her tongue to stop herself form laughing.

"Yes, that is what it does," she replied, hiding her smile behind the cup of tea. Narcissa was able to speak muggle terms without difficulty. But she spoke them like she was speaking mandarin or something.

"I will have to ask Lucius, but I imagine he will say yes," she said, her face still marred with the confusion she felt. The slight buzz in the air signaled the arrival of a person by floo.

"Well, that must be Draco," Hermione said, smiling slightly before tutoring her expression to look neutral. Unfortunately for her, Narcissa noticed the subtle change in her expression.

"Good evening, mother," said Draco, walking in while loosening his tie. He bent and kissed Narcissa on her cheek and nodded at Hermione while sitting down between them.

"Really, Draco, is this the way to greet your fiancée? Honestly, one would think that you were greeting your friend rather than your betrothed. Must you embarrass me so?" said Narcissa, scolding lightly. Draco paled. Trust mother to complicate things. Hermione choked on her tea.

He sighed lightly and turned to hug Hermione awkwardly. Hermione leaned in. _He smells really nice,_ she thought. All too soon for her liking, it was over. _What in the world...?_

Hermione shook her head. She was overreacting to the situation. She had to get out of here. Fast.

"I'm sorry. I just remembered I had to call my grandmother. Excuse me," she said politely, before she bolted off into the house without getting a reply. Narcissa looked at her in amusement. Draco groaned.

"Mother, must you ruin everything?"

"Oh my dear, I believe I made it all better for you, my love," she said, winking at him while retaining her stoic expression. Draco groaned again. When mother got involved, you knew something bad was going to happen.

* * *

_The Burrow,_

As a part of the temporary (and rather uneasy) truce, Draco and Hermione had gone out to 2 lunches that week. It had been awkward to say the least, and Hermione kept praying for it to get over. But in her heart, she really appreciated his efforts, however embarrassing they seemed.

Draco on the other hand was rather pleased with himself. During the last week, he had managed to somewhat swallow his pride and muscle down his ego in order to grow a pair and ask Hermione out to lunch. And in his opinion it had gone rather well.

Sunday meant the Weasley monthly brunch, when all the Weasleys gathered along with friends to celebrate another month of safety and sanity.

This particular Sunday afternoon opened with Hermione sternly giving Draco a talk about the virtues of self control and sacrifice. In order to tolerate the "pathetic" and "disease afflicted Burrow" (as he put it) of course. Draco may have changed, but those who thought he had become a totally different person were sorely mistaken. Such was the beginning of the day when his beautiful dreams and darkness and coziness were interrupted by the hurricane called Granger. With the curtains yanked open, the pillow snatched and the quilt pulled off mercilessly, his day had _not_ started off as happily as he had hoped. At least, as nice as it _could_ have gone what with the Brunch about to follow.

At this particular moment, he sat around in the living room, sipping a funny colored drink and trying to pay attention to a particularly alarming conversation between the twins and Teddy and Victoire. The sudden opening of the door leading to the back yard drew his attention as he noticed rather absent mindedly that Ron and Hermione had entered the house, looking rosy cheeked and happy with flowers in their hands. Ron said something that had Hermione cracking up.

"Oh Ron, you're horrible!" she said in peals of laughter.

"I'm serious! Then I said, 'what do you mean _not till I buy something?_ I just want to take a piss, not buy _another_ bottle of water'!" he said, his face comical enough to send Hermione into another round of laughter. All this while, neither of them noticed a pair of grey eyes, looking at them.

* * *

_Later,_

Harry and Ginny arrived later than everyone else. Brunch was still an hour away as people were trickling in one after the other. Draco sat at one corner of the room, reading the Daily Prophet he had managed to steal from the table. Hermione looked at him rather sadly.

"Harry, could you do me a favor?" she asked, as they all sat in the living room. Harry grinned.

"You want me to go over to Malfoy and make conversation, don't you?" he said, shaking his head slightly at his rather predictable best friend.

"Could you, I don't know, play Quidditch with him or something? I feel sorry now, for dragging him here. I figured Astoria or at least Blaise would've been here," she said. Astoria had gone to her mother's today and Blaise hadn't turned up for some weird reason that Luna refused to tell.

"I could. Depends on what I get in return," he said cheekily. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Name you price, Potter."

"One kiss, Granger."

"Where, Potter?"

"On the cheek of course, you cheeky girl! My fiancée is right here!" he said, laughing. Hermione sighed, exaggerating it a little. "Fine." And suddenly, she grabbed him and kissed him soundly on the cheek. Draco watched the incident with narrowed eyes.

Draco couldn't understand the rush of anger he felt every time he saw Hermione with either Ron or Harry, laughing easily with them. It was a stark contrast to how she would be with him, forced, quiet and to a certain extent restrained. It was as if she didn't want to be there with him, like he was just a chore. Now Draco was no emotionless fool. He had emotions and felt hurt just like the next person. The only difference was, he knew where his logic stopped and emotions took over and how to control that part.

Right now, his emotions and logic were at the border, facing each other. While his emotions coaxed his jealousy, his logic told him otherwise. They had just started warming up to each other; what did he expect, a teary confession of love?

He shuddered slightly, trying to get weird, sappy thoughts out of his head. Harry approached him right about then. He doctored his expression to resemble that of a cold hearted person. _Great. Good job Draco. Look like a cold hearted bastard and see how well they like you then._

"Hey, Malfoy. Uh, we were thinking of playing Quidditich and we're one seeker short. Would you like to play?" asked Harry. Draco's grin was feral to say the least.

"You're on, Potter."

* * *

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	17. Chapter 17

******Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong J.K.R. Rest all belongs to me!**

******XXOO**

******linux-Ginny**

* * *

That girl really is something

_The Burrow,_

The game was about to begin. Draco had summoned Tea Cup and had ordered his broom over. As soon as he had it in his hands, he found himself surrounded by the twins, Teddy and Charlie.

"Is that _really-" _started Fred.

_"THE _Nimbus 3000? The one that isn't even-" said George.

"Out yet?" finished Teddy. Draco had to smirk at that. He looked up slightly to see Ron drooling slightly over his broom before being nudged by Harry.

"Why, yes. Yes it is," he replied. Teddy's eyes grew wide. Ron was back to drooling again. Hermione rolled her eyes. _It was just a broomstick. Honestly!_

"Can I… Can I _touch_ it?" asked Teddy, looking at Draco with his baby eyes and a pout. Draco pretended to think over it. An idea struck him and he grinned. Hermione rolled her eyes at his expression. _He really was up to no good._ He knelt down to Teddy's level.

"Tell you what, sport. If I win this match and _you_ cheer for me rather than for your dad, I'll let you touch it and take you for a ride on it. Do we have a deal?" he said solemnly and stuck out his hand for Teddy to shake.

"We'll cheer for you!" exclaimed the twins together, but Draco ignored them. Hermione snorted. Harry reddened. Cheeky bastard. Using his own son against him. Smart, but cheeky nonetheless. Teddy on the other hand was torn. His mind seemed conflicted. He looked briefly at his father and back at Draco and then sighed. He put out his hand and shook Draco's.

Today was a momentous day, for Ted Remus Lupin-Tonks Potter made his first decision.

* * *

_Two hours later,_

"That has got to be a foul! You cheated!" exclaimed Harry as the boys trooped in for brunch. Hermione looked up and saw them coming in. She had been sitting and chatting with Ginny, who had opted out of playing today. Draco looked incredibly smug. Teddy was so happy, he could barely walk without skipping.

"You're just sad that I caught the snitch before you did," he replied, graciously accepting the towel that Hermione handed him to towel off some of the sweat. The game had been intense, with Harry more than determined to beat Draco to show his son. But surprisingly, Draco had caught the snitch before him, something that Harry was having a hard time accepting. Harry took the towel that Ginny offered him and kissed her on the cheek. She giggled. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Unca Draco! Unca Draco! Can we ride your broomstick? You promised we could!" interrupted Teddy, jumping up and down in delight. Draco had to smirk at that. His little plan had worked. True, it had been petty and childish, but it had had the desired effect. He looked up to see Harry looking a little disappointed. _Being around Granger is making me a sap. Oh, well._

"Here," he said, handing his broom to Harry, who looked at him, surprised.

"Mal-"

"Go ride with your son, Potter," he said, nodding towards the door. Harry grinned at that and ushered Teddy out the door. Draco returned his focus to toweling himself. He really liked playing Quidditch but really could do without the sweat and the grime sometimes, especially at someone else's home.

"That was nice, what you did," remarked Hermione, watching him mess up his hair. He shrugged.

"It was just a broomstick," he replied, reaching out to find his wand. Hermione smiled. Ron watched this exchange with interested eyes. He didn't get time to dwell on it though as they were called for food. Harry and Teddy joined them 10 minutes later, with Teddy jumping in joy.

* * *

_Malfoy Manor,_

Draco and Hermione spent a majority of their day in the Burrow. They returned early in the evening, tired but happy. Hermione joined Narcissa and Lucius for tea while Draco excused himself to go bathe.

"Did you both have fun today?" asked Narcissa, breaking a biscuit delicately.

"We did," replied Hermione smiling. Lucius had his nose buried in the evening issue of the Daily Prophet. They sat in comfortable silence, waiting for Draco to arrive. Misty suddenly appeared.

"Master Draco is asking Miss Granger to go to the library. Master says it is urgent, ma'am," she said, her head bowed. Hermione frowned slightly at that. She thanked the elf and excused herself.

She made her way through the Manor, trying to remember which way the library was. All the hallways looked the same! It was so confusing!

"It was a right after that vase. No, no wait, was it a left? Nope, it has to be right. Or was it left? Oh Merlin!" she muttered to herself.

"Getting lost, are we?" said a voice behind her. She whirled around to see Draco walking towards her, dressed in khakis shorts and a black shirt. She was shocked to see him dressed in something so… muggle. She must have been staring at him, for he smirked.

"See something you like?" That snapped back her attention. She scowled.

"It's not my bloody fault this house is like a freaking country," she bit out. He walked right past her. She stood there rooted to her spot.

"Well, what is it that was so urgent?" she enquired after him. He looked around at her and sighed.

"We'll talk about it as soon as we get to the library," he said, rolling his eyes before walking away. _Git_. Hermione had to jog behind him to catch up with him.

* * *

_Ron's apartment,_

Ronald Weasley had managed to land himself an enviable job as an Auror in the law enforcement division. Being an Auror had its perks, the first and foremost one being that he got paid. A lot of money. Combine that with the amount of rewards that he had received after the demise of the Dark Lord, Ron was pretty much set for life. He didn't need to work another day if he didn't want to. But he did anyway.

What Ron didn't anticipate was getting engaged to a socialite like Astoria, who had only one thing in her mind at all times- shopping. She didn't seem to have any job in reality; her job was that of a 'Fashion Consultant' for Witch Weekly, but that was probably just on paper.

That same evening after he went back home from the Brunch at the Burrow, he was greeted with the sight of at least 20 shopping bags scattered all over the place in the lobby. He could hear the shower running and figured his fiancée was currently in it. What rendered him speechless was the sheer quantity of the bags. Bags with shoes, robes, dresses, gowns, shoes, make up, lingerie and more shoes. She'd bought more in one day than Ron had in a lifetime!

"Bloody Hell," he muttered, looking at particularly small piece of lingerie. He set it down and looked around him.

_If this is the rate at which she shops, I'll keep paying bills for the rest of my life!_

It was at that moment that the aforementioned Ms. Greengrass chose to make her entrance. Toweling her wet hair, she was clad only in a bathing gown, which was unsettling for Ron to see since they slept in separate rooms and hardly met one another. She went to great lengths to avoid him, and that suited him just fine.

"Do you like them?" she asked. _Do I li-? Is she kidding?_

"I really hope your mother doesn't force me into a joint account Astoria, because there is no way in hell I'm paying for this crap once we get married," he said. Astoria looked shocked.

"What do you mean? It is just clothes Ronald," she said, her eyes widening.

"Just cl- Are you kidding? This stuff is crap! You don't need any of this! You stuff has already taken up most of my space!" cried Ron.

"Well, I don't appreciate what you are trying to say" she replied indignantly, crossing her arms.

"What I am trying to say is that I hope you have your inheritance intact still, because you are not getting a sickle from me," replied Ron, developing a sudden headache. It was like talking to a child. _So this is what Hermione felt like every time she tried to talk some sense into Harry and me. Huh._

"That is just silly. You're my fiancé. It will be your job to provide," she replied, stubbornly. Ron choked back a laughter. If only Hermione were here now, she would've hexed Astoria into the next century.

"What century are you living in?"

"And besides, I've seen your net worth in Witch Weekly. You're just being stingy," she continued, completely oblivious to what Ron had just said.

"I don't come from old money, Astoria! I don't have money to last me forever! At least not at the rate at which you're going! Grow up and take a look around you! This is the real world! People don't just go around shopping for-" he paused to look one of the bills, "12000 Galleons in one day! Wait, 12000? What the hell did you buy? A _country?_"

"No. Those are robes, by Madame Roberta. They are gilded with _real _gold," she replied, in a _well duh_ tone. His headache escalated. He took a breath to calm himself.

"All this stuff has to go. Every last one of it. That includes all the crap you bought last week and the week before that. No buts!" he said, raising a hand to silence any protest that Astoria was planning, "You do that, and I will consider not petitioning against you. Until then, this conversation is over," he finished, looking at her and the bags one last time, his happy mood forgotten.

Astoria stood there, stunned.

* * *

_Meanwhile,_

_Malfoy Manor_

Hermione was currently seated across Draco in front of his desk as he went through some papers. She had been waiting for him to say something for the last 10 minutes or so, but all he seemed to be doing was going through some papers and occasionally correcting some things.

"I know that you have a high opinion of yourself, Malfoy. But I don't find you _that_ attractive. I do have a life, and unfortunately for you, it doesn't involve mooning over you," she remarked drily. Malfoy looked up at that, clearly amused.

"You don't need to pretend, Granger. I know you secretly want me," he replied, smirked a little. _Prat_.

"You wish," she said, going back to what she had been doing about thirty seconds ago, looking at her lap. The sun was slowly setting behind them, she could make out the last of the rays disappearing behind a hill in the distance through the large French window behind Draco. It would be back to work tomorrow for them both and she had a lot of work set out for her. The Youzhny case was scheduled for a hearing on Thursday and Cormac was getting even more arrogant by the minute, if that was even possible.

"Right, so, I need you to sign here, here and here and initial here, here and here," he said suddenly, handing over the papers to her and giving her a quill, pointing at the various places as he called them out.

"You should know me well enough to know that I would never sign anything you give me to, without reading it thoroughly first, Malfoy," she remarked, taking the papers from him to read. Malfoy sighed. This woman really did not relent, ever.

"These are just official documents from Gringotts declaring that our accounts are now officially joint. Our salaries will be deposited in the same account and we will both have equal rights withdraw as much as we want, when we want. It also states your monthly allowance for shopping and stuff like that. You can exceed that whenever you want of course; this just provides the minimum limit," said Draco, picking at the quill kept on his table. When he didn't get a response, he looked up to see Hermione looking at the papers shocked.

Hermione couldn't believe it. Did he _really_ have that much money? That figure ran into billions, if not more! And from what she could make out, this was just his personal account. That meant that he had more… And that allowance! It was at least 4 times the salary she made in a month!

"What's the matter, Granger? _Softie_ caught your tongue?" said Draco snidely, referring to that god awful creature that Hermione called a _cat_. Stupid thing hissed and pawed at him if he crossed paths with it.

Hermione finally found her voice. "I can't take your money Malfoy. It is way too much!" she said, her eyes still scanning the document. Draco was mildly surprised. She was possibly the first female he had come across who was blatantly refusing money.

"Just sign it, will you?" he replied, not really in the mood for an argument.

"I will. Once you remove this particular clause," she said, pointing to the allowance clause.

"You _don't_ want money? You're the first female I've come across who has said that. I _knew_ you had male tendencies!" smirked Draco. Hermione scowled.

"Look, I don't want your money. I make enough for myself. So will you just remove the clause? I will not be your charity case!" she bit out. Draco ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"You're not my charity case! This is what husbands and wives do, Granger. They have joint accounts. Now that you're going to be a part of the Malfoy family, you have to learn to do things our way. And one of those things is shopping and socializing. And for that _you need money_," emphasized Draco. Hermione laughed.

"So you're telling me that a part of your family tradition is _shopping?_"

Now that she said it that way, he sounded ridiculous. Giving up, he waved his wand over the document thrice and that clause disappeared.

"There. Happy?"

"Loads." She then proceeded to sign and initial. Smiling slightly at him, she got up and left. Draco sat back on his chair, watching her go. That girl really was something.

* * *

**I'm back! Hahaha.  
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**Lemme know if you find any errors, grammatical or otherwise. And let me know what you thought about Astoria and her character... Also, if you guys have read any good fics lately, do drop in a recommendation in your review. I'm having a dry spell with regards to good fics lately.**

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	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. Rest all belongs to me.**

**XXOO**

**linux-Ginny**

* * *

A really weird day

Blaise Zabini liked to think of himself as a man of cool logic and thought. It was a well known fact among all Slytherins, both former and current, that he was not a man to be trifled with, for he tended to exact his revenge in the most unconventional yet hard-hitting ways _and_ he particularly delighted in doing so when said person least expected it. He did have a fun side however, one prominent enough to match his notorious childhood friend and quasi-brother Draco Malfoy. They both loved to live life large and party hard. In his defence, they _were_ young after all.

Blaise also came from old money like Draco, but was not _as_ rich as him. His interests included fine food and wine (he was an Italian, after all) and he was in the process of acquiring his third winery when the meddlesome Weasel had declared that goddamn law. Before, if somebody asked him about his ideal witch, he would've replied as any other warm blooded young male would have: slim, leggy, bright eyed, leggy, hot beyond words, smart enough to carry out a decent amount of conversation and leggy. Overnight, Blaise found himself stuck for life (literally) with a witch who could only be described with one word- queer. He knew little of Luna aside from the fact that she was a year younger to him and was in Ravenclaw. Oh, and also the fact that she talked about weird stuff (that were most likely made up) in an infinite trance (that made her seem perpetually high).

Luna Lovegood was a fiercely independent witch who had recently taken over the reins of _The Quibbler_ after her father had decided that he had had enough of the employed life. Under her, the magazine had done well, expanding its sales tremendously, while gaining the reputation of being more accurate than even _The Daily Prophet_ in stories involving the real world. Nobody could confirm the stories about the "creatures" though, but no matter.

Luna was a busy person and had been so since she had decided to launch a daily newspaper to bring more grief to _The Daily Prophet_. She had recently decided that the magazine had been losing its direction with relation to the awareness that she and her father wanted to spread about the many, many forgotten species of the wizarding world in the quest to rival _The Prophet_ and had decided to segregate the two. She was the editor to both, and that effectively ensured that her regular working hours of 6 had doubled to 12.

When Percy had announced the law, she had been too busy to care. When he announced her husband-to-be though, she had felt dazed. It was no secret to the wizarding world (and in some cases, Muggle world as well) that Blaise Zabini was a philanderer, the 'forever bachelor' as Skeeter liked to call him. Her newspaper did not print gossip and that meant that she hadn't actually met him properly even once, only occasionally seeing him from afar when he and Draco accompanied Professor Snape to the Order Headquarters during the War after they both had defected. And that was it.

Being the workaholic she was, she had immersed herself in work as soon as the ball was over to keep her mind off of the fact that she was stuck with a man who she was sure would cheat on her for the rest of her life.

The fact that Luna hadn't contacted him after the announcement did perturb Blaise a bit but he brushed it aside. He hadn't tried contacting her at all. To be honest he had been meaning to, but the Muggle owner of that vinery was proving to be a handful and he was having a hard time closing the deal. Luna would just have to wait then.

* * *

_Zabini Villa, Somewhere near Wiltshire_

Blaise knocked on the door of his mansion as he waited patiently for somebody to answer. He had just returned from his trip to Italy where that annoying Muggle had finally relented after weeks of coaxing and bribery. Pleased with his acquisition, he had jetted back to the London airport and had had his driver pick him from there. In his limousine, of course.

The doors of the villa opened to reveal a house elf- it was Vino, his personal elf. The elf squealed a welcome to his favorite person in the whole wide world before grabbing his luggage. Blaise grinned slightly as he looked around the lobby. Yes, it really was good to be home. His mother was going to be around somewhere, or probably not. Blaise frowned slightly as he remembered Giovanna Zabini liked to call on Narcissa and her other so called friends around this hour and shook his head. He really should have let her known that he was returning. Just as he headed down to the kitchens to see what would be available to eat at this hour, he passed the dining room and heard laughter and talk. He smiled; mother was home after all.

He detoured to the dining room only to stop short as he noticed who their guest was. _Loony Lovegood._ His fists clenched and he ground his teeth together. He really had been hoping to put off meeting her for a few more days.

Giovanna noticed her son standing at the door and her eyes widened in joy. She got up and walked briskly to hug him and kiss him on his cheek. Luna sat frozen on her spot. Her back was still towards him, but she knew it was him the second she saw Giovanna's reaction.

Before _his_ arrival, Luna was having a particularly entertaining evening. Giovanna had called on her a few weeks ago with the pretext of wanting to know her future daughter in law. She had been so nice and understanding about it that Luna had decided to set aside some time during the week to spend in this Villa. Giovanna was surprisingly good company. Her husband had died many years ago due to mysterious circumstances, and the woman lived alone. She was a socialite through and through, but she was kind as well, something rare amongst such breed of people.

Luna didn't bother getting up or turning around. She sat right where she was, her hand clutching the cup of tea. Giovanna ushered Blaise towards the seating area.

"Blaise, I would like you to meet Luna. Luna- Blaise," she said gesturing between the two of them. Blaise sat down and stiffly nodded towards her. Luna retained her mask of surprise that usually adorned her face, but Blaise noticed the anger and hurt that flashed in her eyes and squirmed in his seat. She smiled slightly at Giovanna and set down her cup.

"Giovanna, this has been an entertaining. I thank you. I fear I must return to wok though; I'm quite close to a breakthrough on varple-nuffs," she said, in her usual dreamy voice. Blaise choked back a laughter. _Loony_ indeed. Giovanna seemed crest fallen. Luna got up and left. Blaise didn't bother getting up. Giovanna frowned.

"I am going to Draco's mother. Don't wait up," grit out Blaise before getting up and leaving.

* * *

_Malfoy Manor,_

One of the benefits of being the owner of your own company was that you could take an off whenever you wanted and didn't have to explain yourself to anyone. It was the Tuesday after the Weasley brunch and Draco was currently in the south wing of his house, working out. The only worry he had was of Lucius somehow finding out that he'd skived off of work and that didn't seem likely at the moment. The old man was nowhere within range.

Misty the elf suddenly apparated into the room with a disgruntled looking Blaise. Draco looked up to notice him and grin. He got off the treadmill and _accio_'d a towel over. Blaise sat down on the leather sofa kept there and asked Misty for a firewhiskey. Draco shook his head at that.

"A bit early to be drinking mate, don't you think?" he said, sitting across him.

The southern wing was a newly renovated part of the mansion. After the fall of the Dark Lord, Narcissa had literally set fire to the old wing to get rid of the horrible memories and start afresh. She had then spent some time in Muggle 5 star hotels and come up with the idea of a recreation centre. This part of the house was now Draco's favorite. It had a giant telly, a gym, an indoor swimming pool and a bar/lounge area. In his heyday, he had organized many, many exclusive parties here. Much to the displeasure of his mother and father.

Blaise took a long drag from the glass and grimaced slightly as it burned down his throat.

"I just had the _pleasure_ of meeting my future wife," he said, looking utterly miserable. Draco looked amused at that.

"So how is the Loony?" he chuckled as Blaise threw him a dark look.

"Loony as ever, mate. Merlin, I was hoping to not meet her until absolutely necessary. Mother on the other hand couldn't wait to meet her. I think she has a new favorite person," he grumbled. Draco laughed at that.

"So, how bad was it?" he asked, summoning Misty with a glass of water.

"Horrible beyond words. She just sat there. Then she mumbled something about varple-somethings and excused herself and ran," he said, taking another sip.

"She is quite successful though; I hear the people down at the _Prophet _are trying to figure how she managed to dethrone them single-handedly," said Draco.

"Enough about me. Really. How's the bookworm?"

"A know-it-all as always."

"As always."

"I mean, don't know. We're _trying_ to be civil to one another, but one only has to see it to know how forced our interactions are. I mean, I hardly ever see her even though we share a room, and even during-"

"Wait. _Share a room?_" Blaise looked incredulous.  
"Mother insisted," shrugged Draco.

"So does that entail oh, I don't know, _sharing a bed_?" Draco glared at him.

"Yes."

Blaise whistled slowly. "Is it true that she recites Transfiguration lessons in her sleep?" Draco gave him an odd look.

"Who told you that?"

"That chit, Patil. When we were in Hogwarts, she wouldn't stop complaining about Hermione's sleep talking tendencies."  
"Well, she hasn't done anything of the sort till now. I sure hope to Merlin she doesn't start now."

* * *

_Wizengamot,_

Hermione was having a less relaxing day than her fiancé. The big trial was two days away and she was working. Mikhael Youzhny was a criminal dealing with illegal potions. He had also served as a front for money laundering and was currently being held for several charges, including use of an Unforgivable on a child.

Gathering evidence on the man, however was proving to be a pain in the ass. Whatever Hermione would come up with would disappear. No doubt, it paid to have goons running around for Youzhny.

"We could try going through the financial records of the companies he has supplied to before, see if anything pops up there," said Jessica, her assistant. Hermione considered that. It didn't seem like a bad idea. But the problem was, to do that, she needed a warrant to go through the finance of anyone. And getting a warrant in a day was impossible. But it was worth a try.

"Give me a list of his clients," she told Jessica, watching her scurry away to get the list. She returned almost instantly, carrying a foot long parchment.

Hermione scanned the list quickly and frowned. _Malfoy Inc._ was a client of theirs.

"I think I know where to start," she said, grabbing her purse and flooing to the manor.

* * *

_Malfoy Manor,_

Draco and Blaise were making idle talk when Tea Cup appeared with Hermione. Draco looked surprised. He was sure she wouldn't be home until late in the night, if at all.

"Evening Granger. You remember Blaise, don't you? Granger, Blaise; Blaise, Granger," he drawled, gesturing lazily. She nodded.

"I need to look up something in your company's finances," she said.

"Whatever for?" he asked, curious.

"It is for a case," she replied.

"I don't see a warrant," he said, his left eyebrow raised. Hermione cursed. Of course the ferret had to bring that up.

"Look, it'll only take a minute. The trial is day after and I can't get one now. Please?" she pleaded. Draco shook his head.

"I can't let you do that, Granger. My lawyers will have my throat, as would Father," he replied, eyeing her curiously. She looked mad.

"It is just one account that I want to see. Mikhail Youzhny. Do you know the man?" she asked. Draco frowned.

"Of course I know the man. He's a lying, cheating piece of shit. What about him?"

"I have trial day after tomorrow and I need evidence. He has contacts outside who have been burying anything plausible to use against him and I am running out of time."

"Well, it was truly noble and _naïve _of you to think that I would help you. I can't do that without putting my company in jeopardy."

"Why? Are you still into illegal stuff?" Blaise chuckled. Draco shot him a withering glare.

"No." He grounded out.

"Then, you have nothing to worry about," said Hermione, her hands coming up to hold her waist.

"Her hands have landed on her waist. _She means business,"_ mock whispered Blaise. Under normal circumstances, Draco would have laughed at that. But today, when his dignity was being called into question, he was rapidly losing all rational thought.

"Fine. You can come tomorrow. First thing. And _don't be late."_

* * *

_Malfoy Inc.,_

Because of his overly demanding, infuriating fiancée, Draco had to turn in to work the next day on time. He entered the building at 8 o'clock sharp. _Draco Malfoy never entered office at 8. Ever._

Proof of that very fact was his executive secretary, Jessica Paulsen (whom he called 'Pauley'. Just because) dropped her coffee mug when she saw him enter. He scowled at her. He'd known Pauley since he had started interning at the firm years ago while he was still in school. At that time, she had been the main receptionist. She was a cheerful albeit feisty blonde who was a major help to Draco. Secretly, he knew he couldn't survive his job without her, but he would never tell her that. Just because.

"Is the world ending? What is it?" she blubbered.

"Nothing. 8 o'clock _is_ the reporting time, is it not?" he shrugged, grabbing hold of the coffee and the Prophet from her.

"Precisely my point. _It's 8 o'clock. _You are never here at this hour. Which begs the question- _why are you here_?" she said, follow him into the office. He glared at her. Trust Pauley to never let anything go.

"Do I have any appointments in the morning?" he asked, sitting down. She sat across him, on the chairs placed across his desk.

"Walters from marketing at 10 and Myra from research at 11-"  
"Cancel both. Or postpone. I don't care," he said, scanning the headlines.

"You're hiding something," she said, her eyes narrowed. Draco decided to give up. He already had one infuriating female to deal with in a few minutes; he did _not_ need a foreplay of the act now.

"Granger is coming in." Jessica squealed. Draco winced.

"Really? _Finally!_ I was starting to think that you had her stashed somewhere. Oh my god. Do you need some _alone time_?_"_ she said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. Draco scowled.

"She needs to go over our account with Mikhail Youzhny."

"Sure. If that's what you kids are calling it these days," she giggled.

"_No. She needs those accounts_. Now go fetch them Pauley," he said, banishing her with a wave. Jessica gave him a withering glare while leaving to get the files.

* * *

_Meanwhile,_

Hermione on the other hand was having an irritating time. She had reached the company at a quarter past 8 and was not being able to get past the receptionist, Abby.

"I need to see him! He called me in the morning!" she said. Abby looked bored. She was filing her nails at the moment, having only reached seconds before.

"I am sorry, ma'am. Mr. Malfoy does not see anyone without a prior appointment. And I am given the list of his daily appointments. And you are _not on the list_," she said, picking her nails with the filer.

"Check again."

"Nope. Nothing," replied Abby, without even bothering to look.

"Is he free at all today?"

"Sure. You can come back at 5 minutes past 12. At night."

"Now look here…"

"Look ma'am, you can take a seat there. I will ask," said Abby, done filing the nails on her right hand. Hermione scowled and took a seat. Abby went on to start filing the nails on her left hand. Hermione sat fuming.

While she was debating the best way forward, a blonde woman came out from the office, carrying some files. She saw Hermione and her eyes widened. She then walked up till Abby's desk. She dropped the files noisily on her desk, causing her to jump in fright. She was about to retort when she saw who it was. Jessica.

"Pack up your things."

"Excuse me?"

"You're fired."

"_What? You have no reason to-"_

"See that woman there? That is Hermione Granger. In case you have been living under a _rock_, she is Mr. Malfoy's fiancée. If he finds out that you made her wait _outside_ he will fire your sorry ass so fast your nails will break. Consider this a favor from me to you. Leave. And have a temp filled in for your place before you leave," she said casually. Hermione heard every word. She stood up.

"That will be unnecessary. Really. She was just doing her job," she said. Jessica looked at a mortified Abby.

"You owe her one. And next time, _you let her in without any questions._ Clear?" Abby nodded mutely.

Jessica ushered Hermione into the offices.

"So you really are Ms. Goody goody," she commented, looking at Hermione. Hermione blushed.

"I'm sorry, I'm at a loss here. Who are you?"

"You mean he didn't tell you? Of course he didn't tell you. He really is _useless_," she grumbled, walking into Draco's office.

"How dare you? You moron!" she started. Hermione looked at her and then the look of mortification on Draco's face with amusement. This woman really was something. She had never seen anyone talk to Draco like that.

"Really, Pauley? I wanted to give you a chance to introduce _yourself_," tried Draco, but Hermione snorted to that. Jessica and Draco looked up to see her.

"Oh don't mind me. I don't want to interrupt you two lovebirds," she said, going to take a seat on the sofa. Draco looked at Jessica, who looked at him. They seemed to have a silent conversation. Jessica left.

"How nice of you to drop by, Granger," he said, his voice saying otherwise.

"The files. Now," she ground out. He sighed dramatically.

"Always to the point then. Jessica?" he called. She dropped in again and placed the files on his desk.

"Where do you want to start?" Hermione choked.

"_Excuse me?_ I have to take these and go," Draco was already shaking his head.

"I can't let you do that. You technically still have no warrant. You can sit and work here. I'll help."

Hermione had a coughing fit at that one.

* * *

**Reviews have fallen. Even if you hate this story, atleast let me know!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you for the overwhelming response. Really. You can't imagine how encouraging you reviews have been. I want to especially thank Cat'squill for providing the correct french translations in chapter 2. And another shout out to Bookworm9876.**

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K.R. Rest all belong to me.**

**XXOO**

**linux-Ginny**

* * *

Of Drinking and Trials

_Malfoy Inc.,_

Hermione was sitting on the floor of Draco's office, her sleeves rolled up and shoes tossed aside carelessly. Her hair had been clipped up and she was currently chewing absent mindedly on gum while scanning the documents that Draco had presented to her.

Draco eyed his fiancée skeptically. He was seated on his chair while she worked diligently with her back towards him. He had long since given up trying to get her to sit on a table and a chair; Merlin, he had even offered _his own_ desk and chair (and he never did that; he liked his desk and chair very much). Hermione had looked at him blankly and shook her head before looking away and ignoring him. This happened about 6 hours ago.

Because of her presence, Draco was forced to work too. He would usually work slowly, then get up and take a round of the office and then come back to work. Sometimes he would go outside for lunch; other times he just went home to eat.

Pauley had not dropped in since Granger had arrived either, although he wouldn't put it past her to be listening in through an extendable ear that she had secretly planted in his office which she thought he wouldn't notice.

Right now, it was lunch time and he was _starving_. All of his chocolate frog stash had mysteriously disappeared (_coughdamnyouPauleycough_) and he really, _really_ wanted to eat. And it seemed that that entailed prying Grangers hands off of work and pulling her to lunch.

"Granger."

Nothing happened.

"_Granger_."

She shifted in her spot and reached out to see some document.

"GRANGER." She jumped. _Finally_.

"What?" she scowled indignantly while looking at him over her shoulder. Damn her and her stupid nerdy glasses. Who wore sensible, thick rimmed spectacles anyway?

"I'm going for lunch. And you're coming with," he said figuring that he would face rejection the second he gave her a choice. Her scowl lessened by a degree. She sat up properly and undid her hair to retie it. Her tumbling curls did not fail to get noticed by Draco who shifted in his chair.

She then stood up suddenly and wobbled a bit, presumably from her legs sleeping off. He stood up and caught her as she fell again, his hand going around her waist. He then looked down to tell her off but choked off his words when he noticed that her shirt had come unbuttoned. His throat dried. _This is what too much work does to you, mate. You start hallucinating. You start finding swots like Beaver face here pretty._

Hermione seemed to realize what his gaze was trained at and pushed him with a huff. She straightened her pants and reached over to get her shoes. All this time, Draco stood there, his expression dazed. She glowered at him.

"If you're done being a _sick_ pervert, can we go?" she snapped.

That seemed to do the trick. Draco moved in jiffy.

* * *

_Malfoy Manor,_

Things progressed from indifferent to severely awkward after that. Draco kept cursing himself for his momentary lapse of emotional control. She had avoided looking at him all day and he had ended up leaving at 9 in the evening from work. She was still in his office. Working. And that had been 5 hours ago.

Draco was lying in their bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. _Where the hell was she?_ Scowling (and deciding that sleep was definitely out of the order) he got up and grabbed a robe to go over his pajamas. He then apparated to his office.

* * *

_Malfoy Inc.,_

As expected, the building was empty. Even the bleeding guard was sleeping. He moved swiftly to his office. As soon as he reached the floor his office was on, he noticed a light coming from the direction of his office. He opened the door to find an undeniably drunk Pauley saying something nonsensical and Granger sprawled on the floor, breathless from laughing.

They had obviously found his secret stash of firewhiskey, and from the looks of it, had finished all of it.

"Oh no!" pouted Pauley, "The firewhiskey finished." This sent Granger into another round of incontrollable laughter. Draco stood at the door, horrified. He reached into the pocket of his robe to grab his wand. It was at that moment that Granger noticed his presence. She choked on her laughter and started pointing towards him rapidly.

He decided that he had had enough of this. He promptly petrified Pauley, levitated her to the fireplace and floo'd her to her apartment. He undid the spell and put her on the couch. He then apparated back to the office.

"Now what drove Granger to drink?" he mumbled as he moved to pick her up from the floor, looking around the office. He was well aware of the fact that she had a big trial she was fighting tomorrow (well, _today_) and she just didn't seem like the sorts to go around sloshing herself into a stupor hours before.

He apparated them both back to their wing, where he made quick work of her shoes. He transfigured her work clothes into one of his old t shirts and carried her to bed, bridal style. He then summoned Misty and ordered two hangover potions for the morning, one to be delivered to Pauley.

This whole time, his mind worked in overdrive. He knew that the documents he had given her would not be of much help but had given them to her anyway, hoping she would find something that he had missed. Mikhael Youzhny was not a man to be trifled with. He knew him from the death eaters circle, ad that was long before he had switched.

After ensuring that Granger was out for the count, he apparated back to the office. He sat down on the middle of the floor and looked at all the papers scattered on the floor. His eyes zeroed in on the notepad where Granger had scribbled in what he liked to call 'pig scrawl'. His eyes narrowed as he read her notes. One thing that stood out was 'Private witness?' written and struck across over and over again. He started forming a plan.

* * *

_Malfoy Manor,_

_Next Morning,_

Hermione knew somehow that it was time to wake up, but her body refused to obey her mind. It didn't help matters that her head felt like Banshee's had had a screaming competition last night. She couldn't remember what had happened last night. She shifted in her sleep, groaning as the rays of light hit her face. She turned to look at the other side and cracked open one eye to see where Draco was.

Ideally, she would've frowned if she would've seen him missing. Draco didn't get up early, _ever_. On his pillow was a small bright blue vial with a note attached. She reached out for the note sluggishly, wincing slightly as her head throbbed.

_Hangover potion, courtesy Misty. And get ready soon. I will see you in court._

_-DM_

She grabbed the vial and downed the potion in one gulp and slumped back on her pillow with her eyes closed. While the potion worked its magic, her brain started to take stock of her surroundings. For one, she realized that she wasn't wearing the uncomfortable night gown that Narcissa had high-jacked into her closet. She was wearing what felt like a giant night gown that smelt oddly of something familiar.

As soon as her mind snapped back into action, she jumped out of bed and looked down. She was wearing a giant green tee with the number '07' written in front. She frowned and headed to the bathroom and shrieked at her complexion.

The words 'Slytherin King' was written on the back. Which meant that she was wearing Draco's shirt. After a night she had no recollection of whatsoever. And that smell was Draco's, some odd mix of his cologne and after shave and just _him_.

The clock chimed 8 and snapped her back to reality. She had exactly half an hour to shower, get ready and make it to court. She groaned while going through her clothes. She now knew why she had gotten drunk last night. The documents that Draco had given her access to had turned up to be another dead end. And McLaggens smug face had danced before her eyes.

_I am going to fail for the first time ever. I've survived Voldemort, I've become the youngest female lawyer and now I AM GOING TO FAIL._

With that miserable thought, she proceeded to get ready for the day.

* * *

_Malfoy Inc.,_

Draco was fast at work, preparing his statement for trial. He had woken up at 6 (which was a first for him), gotten ready and kissed his mother goodbye (who sat there shocked at the prospect of her son awake at _6 in the morning_) and had gone to his office.

Pauley was still not there even though he had owled her thrice already and especially instructed his owl Elroy to keep hounding her till she read the note.

His floo suddenly lit up and out stepped Pauley, immaculately dressed with a coffee mug in her hand. She looked completely opposite to the smashed state she had been in roughly 5 hours ago.

"Good Morning Draco. Tell Misty I thank her for the hangover potion. What is the emergency? And more importantly, _why are you in the office at 8 in morning?_" she asked as she took a seat across him.

"I am going in as a private witness to Granger's trail. I'm just finishing a list of things I am going to be testifying for against Youzhny," he said, his hand working rapidly on the parchment and self-inking quill.

"Hermione's trial? You mean the one that starts in half an hour?" she asked, sipping her coffee.

"Oh fuck. I have to go. This should be done in an hour or two. Hold all my appointments till the lunch hour," he said, hurriedly grabbing his black pea coat and flooing to Wizengamot.

* * *

_Wizengamot,_

Hermione hurried down the long corridor, avoiding eye contact with everyone. She still couldn't understand what Draco meant by _see you in court_. What was he going to do?

She walked into the court to see all of the Jury settling down and the Judge taking his seat at the pedestal. She looked around to see other people in court; families of the victims wronged by Youzhny, Youzhny's contemporaries seated and a few press members. Draco was nowhere to be found.

Cormac was already there, talking silently to Youzhny. He noticed her and his grin grew smug. She scowled at him and went o take her seat. The Judge cleared his throat, effectively shutting off the chatter. The Jury members looked at him.

"The court is now called to order on 29th of January 2013 at the Mikhail Youzhny Vs. The People. If the prosecution would like any opening motions, she may proceed."

Hermione fumbled to stand, opening her folder and clearing her throat. As soon as she began to speak, a clerk from the Prosecution office ran into court. The Judge raised his hand to tell her to stop talking as he bent to the side to listen to what the boy had to say.

"All members of the audience including press members and both the counsels are requested to leave. A private witness has presented themselves."

Hermione coughed at that. _Private witness? Who…? DRACO?_ The crowd started murmuring while Cormac looked at her, his eyes narrowed. Youzhny looked surprised mildly. The Judge banged the gavel on the pedestal. The crowd got up to leave.

* * *

_Two Hours later,_

They were all called back in.

"The Jury has reached a verdict. Mikhail Youzhny, you are sentenced to life in Azkaban with no parole. Case dismissed."

Hermione sat in her seat numb, as chaos broke out. Youzhny's comrades broke out in angry protest. The families of the victims cheered. Cormac tried his level best to settle his client down while Mikhail stood and waved his fist at the Jury. He turned to Hermione.

"You watch out. I am coming for you."

* * *

**If you find any errors, please let me know. And don't you dare stop the review flow. I mean it.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J. K. R. Rest all belongs to me!**

**XOXO**

**linux-Ginny**

* * *

Oh, the dilemma!

_Two weeks later (Friday night),_

_Malfoy Manor_

They were arguing again. That's all they had been doing since the trial a fortnight ago. To be fair, it had been progress in a way. At least that was what Hermione thought over and over again in her head to justify the fighting. They had 'progressed' from avoiding each other like plague to acknowledging each other's existence and well, fighting. That should be called progress.

Right?

"You were supposed to be there at the Burrow at 7! You walked in at 12 in the night! To pick me up!?" she yelled. Draco was currently inside his closet trying to find something to wear to his night out with the boys. Hermione had had a light work load since the trial and had been coming home at a decent hour of 5. Narcissa absolutely loved having her around for dinner.

Strangely enough, Draco had started working late. He never did that before. Hermione had a sneaking suspicion as to why that was happening, but was yet to voice it. He had stopped dropping by for lunch. They had not gone for a 'date' in ages as well and there was _no way_ Hermione was going to ask him to one.

"And I told you I was busy! My investors are far more important than your bloody friends!" said Draco, walking out of his closet, slipping a green-grey jacket over a white V-neck and jeans. Hermione stood at the edge of the bed dressed in an off shoulder loose shirt and black leggings. She was staying in tonight.

"How do you think it made _me_ look? Even Blaise freakin' Zabini was there! BLAISE!" she said, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. Draco paused while tying his laces, mentally vowing to KILL BLAISE for putting him in this position.

"Well, I am a busy man Granger. And frankly, I would much rather be _anywhere else_ in the world than that epitome of poverty and over population run by a frumpy old _blob_," he drawled, moving to grab his wand and wallet. His wallet suddenly disappeared. He looked up and saw Hermione holding it in one hand.

"You take that back," she hissed, "You ungrateful, miserable _asshole_! TAKE THAT BACK!" she screamed. Draco flinched at that. He knew as soon as he said it that it was too much. He actually had deep appreciation for Molly Weasley. She had fed him during the war without complaining. It was in the Burrow that he had had the first home cooked meal in his life.

"That was a lie. I didn't mean it. There. I said it. Can I have my wallet back now?" he said. Hermione narrowed her eyes, but didn't budge. Draco sighed and _accio_'d it wordlessly.

A quick, "don't wait up!" later, he was gone.

* * *

_Later,_

Hermione rubbed her eyes. The last few days had been stressful at best. What made it worse was that she knew it was partly her fault. She had grown rather suspicious of Draco's intentions at the trial. So being the 'amazing' person she was, she chose to attack him at every opportunity she got instead of thanking him. Did it make her feel like a horrible human being? Yes. Would she ever admit it out aloud? Hell no.

She curled up with a book on the armchair. Softie was nowhere to be found. It was quite probable that she was with Narcissa.

Apart from Luna and possibly Ron, everybody else seemed to be settling in well with the new law. Ron hadn't _explicitly _stated any issues with Astoria. He had just mentioned his frustration at her shopaholic tendencies. And Luna had said _nothing _regarding Blaise. Hermione's mind wandered over to Harry and Ginny and she sighed wistfully. Why couldn't she have what they had? Surely it wasn't _that_ difficult?

And to top off all her woes, she had not thought about the whole being-a-pureblood-actually thing after she found out. In fact, she had completely forgotten about it! But then, she hadn't meant to. There was just so much going on. She would have to call her grandmother eventually. But not just yet. She still wanted time to process it.

She set her book aside. Obviously there would be no reading tonight. She got up, stretched and set out to look for the library. When in doubt, always go to the library.

Right?

* * *

_Meanwhile,_

Draco was having a relatively better evening, key word being 'relatively'. He was sitting in 'Silver Moon' at Blasé Alley with Blaise, Theo, Goyle and Crabbe drinking something that tasted vaguely like firewhiskey mixed with cranberry. He'd had too many drinks to tell. He had pretty much arrived and proceeded to drink, much to the shock and amusement of his friends.

"Slow down there mate," said Theo, laughing at a slightly inebriated Draco who scowled.

"Bugger off, you wanker," he grumbled, before proceeding to take a long sip. Goyle and Crabbe watched him with slight concern.

"Um, Draco? Would you like to, I don't know, talk about it?" questioned Blaise. Draco shook his head.

"Are you all _that_ stupid? I am about to get married to the world's biggest Prudish Bitch and you're wondering what's wrong with me. Do you realize how miserable it is? Living with her?"

"We know but-"

"No! You don't! What have I done to deserve this? Stuck with the one woman who wants me dead far more than the people I tortured!?"

"Draco, mate-"

"Shut up. I have had it. This woman is NOT the self-righteous _goddess _everyone thinks she is! She still hates me! Even after I risked _everything _for her! And I'm stuck with her! Just my luck," grumbled Draco before taking another sip.

"Mate, maybe you should take it easy. We have been here an hour and all you have done is sat there and drink. How about getting up and meeting that girl over there? She has been eyeing you since we walked in," stated Theo while pointing to a red headed girl by the bar. She noticed them looking and waved at Draco.

He groaned at that. Normally he wouldn't have thought twice about going for it but now he had the 'she-devil' to think about, which completely 'deflated' the mood.

"Maybe later," he said, setting his drink down. Wow, he really _was _drunk. The room was spinning slightly. How on earth was he going to get home now?

That girl must have taken his cursory glance as a signal because she walked over to where they were sitting to introduce herself.

"Hi! My name is Sierra. I was wondering if you would like to dance," she said, looking at Draco with a look that he didn't quite like.

"Thanks but no thanks Sonya-"

"Sierra."

"Do I look like I _give a shit?_ Bugger off!" he snapped. That poor girl looked mortified and walked away (to cry, for sure).

"That was really mean," said Crabbe. He shrugged in reply.

* * *

_Ron's apartment,_

_A little later,_

Ron was in the kitchen of his apartment, whipping up some mashed potatoes, bread and soup for dinner. He was alone as usual. Astoria was _somewhere _with her friends and honestly, Ron could not care less. Being engaged to her was bad, but Ron didn't think about her, choosing to involve himself in work, family and friends. Not Percy.

A knock on the door made him pause from setting the table for himself. He frowned slightly. Had it been somebody unknown, the wards would have gone off. And everybody known would have just apparated in. He opened the door to see Astoria standing there, looking like a mess.

"Astoria? Wh-"

"I got robbed! I was returning all the clothes I had bought the other day when someone pushed past me and before I realized what had happened, my wand was missing. I was with Daphne. She apparated me to the entrance of the building but she couldn't get through the wards in your apartment and I couldn't remember the number of the house so I spent the last hour going from d-" she broke down at that point.

Ron stood there for a moment not knowing what to do. Should he hug… her? The poor girl looked really tired and he took pity on her. He ushered her in and sat her down on the dining chair and conjured up a glass of water. She gave him a watery smile and sniffled. What really bothered Ron was her missing wand.

Why would anybody want to take a wand of all the things?

* * *

_Much later that night,_

Hermione had managed to find the library, which had turned out to be quite close to their room. Narcissa had been informed about her book worm tendencies, it seemed.

She was reading the book she had found which traced the history of the Malfoy's, hoping to find some references to her ancestry. There had been none so far. A loud crash broke her concentration and she immediately reached for her wand.

There were a string of curses she heard right after and frowned. The wards had not gone off. Whoever the intruder was, he wasn't very discreet, was he? She set her book aside and got up. Walking over to the door of the library, she tried to make out who it was in the dark itself. Unfortunately, that did not help. The intruder was on the floor, trying to get up but failing miserably. After about five minutes, Hermione had had enough of watching this person hobble around.

"Lumos Maxima," she said, coming out of her hiding place. The light revealed that the intruder was none other than a very inebriated Malfoy.

"Turn that bloody light off!" he scowled, holding up his hands to shield his eyes.

"Malfoy?! What on earth are you doing?" she exclaimed.

"I. Am. Walking," he said, raising a hand comically. Hermione choked back a laugh. This particular scene was essentially a replay of the time when they were in Hogwarts still and he had returned to the Head dorms drunk. It was a memory that she had willed herself to forget. This scene reminded her of that night.

* * *

_Flashback (About three years ago),_

_Only a month had passed since returning for their final year of school, and Gryffindor lost the first game of the year to Slytherin in an exceedingly tense Quidditch match in wake of the war just passed. Harry was shattered. Draco caught the snitch first, and the Slytherins wasted no time in celebrating, their party going long into the night. From what Hermione had heard, they sure knew how to party._

_She was curled up on her favorite sofa in the common room__d__esignated to the Head Boy and Girl, reading a book on Transfiguration. The clock on the wall struck 3 am, but this wasn't unusual for her. She had developed the ability to sleep for only two hours and be just as alert as those who slept for twelve._

_The portrait crashed open suddenly and startled her. In lurched a severely intoxicated Draco Malfoy, reeking of Firewhiskey, celebration and something surprisingly nice she couldn't quite place the smell of. His Quidditch robes were in a state of disarray, with his muddy Quidditch shirt torn aside and trousers hanging dangerously low. He was humming something that sounded like an edited version of Weasley is our King (only now it sounded like an ode to Harry's apparent incompetence) and had an oversized paper crown falling off his head. _

_One look at him and Hermione choked back laughter. She had never seen the normally composed and calm Head Boy like this. It was hard to imagine him as ever being a servant of the late Voldemort. He looked more like Ron did after a Quidditch victory. _

_Draco stumbled toward her, tripping over the carpet once, before barely making it to the sofa that she was seated on. He collapsed heavily, causing the sofa to jostle and gave her a look which seemed like a cross between challenging and sultry. Before she could figure out what it meant, he gave her a full, honest to god, goofish grin like a Cheshire cat._

_"You're purteey," he slurred, reaching over to pluck the book from her hand. Hermione sat there in shock._

_"You're drunk." Hermione said flatly, taking back her book._

_He snorted. "Corsh Iam. I beat Saint Potty and the Weaselbum!" he said, waving his hands wildly, in a manner Hermione assumed was meant to be triumphant._

_Hermione sighed. "Go sleep it off Malfoy," She suggested, gathering her things and preparing to do the same._

_"You're sucha tightarse," he slurred. _

_Hermione choked back something between a gag and a laugh. "Excuse me?" she couldn't help but be amused by his present state._

_"You 'eard me. You're iron-knickers!" He accused. "Everyone thinksh that. 'tween you n me though, I don't think you shuch a prude," he said, giving her 'knowing' look. He put a hand on Hermione's thigh which she immediately and instinctively pounded full force with the book in her hand. Malfoy snatched his hand away sucking on his bruised knuckles as Hermione jumped to her feet putting a safe distance between them. _

"_You're sucha tightarse," he hissed at her._

"_Go to bed Malfoy." She wasn't going to dignify him with a response, especially when in all likelihood he wouldn't remember it in the morning. He knew she was dating Ron, and even if she weren't, she was pretty sure he knew she'd sooner sleep with a flubberworm than him._

_"'Mhm goin ta shleep now," he announced, getting up and promptly falling on her. She squealed in surprise and tried to get away from him, kicking him a couple of times in the side to get him off, but in vain. She reached for her wand and cast a levitating charm on him. _

_She proceeded to levitate him up the stairs and opened his bedroom door. She set him down on his bed, allowing him to fall with an unceremonious thud and looked around curiously. This was the first time that she had actually entered here – not that she had any reason to before now._

_Draco was essentially a private person. Even though they both shared a common room and a bathroom, their paths rarely crossed. Earlier on in the year they had reached a truce. That had been the only time they had said more than two words to each other. She woke up much earlier than he did and went straight to her room if he was in the common room when she returned from her patrols – as he did when roles were reversed._

_She normally studied at the library; all the better to avoid him and to give her opportunity to spend with Ron and Harry - but from what she had gathered, he didn't study at all. It was actually infuriating. He was effortlessly brilliant in classes for less effort. _

_They had separate patrol schedules, held meetings together with the Prefects, and all interactions were strictly business. She had realized that they actually worked very well together, provided they had minimal social interaction. Essentially, he left her alone and she did the same. _

_Which was what made her curious to see his room in the first place. They had separate bedrooms that they had been given the liberty of to decorate. She always envisioned his room to be dark, dank and mucky; pretty much a dungeon._

_To her surprise, she found it to be quite normal and as un-dungeon-y as it could be. The room was immaculately maintained. It had a vintage yet sophisticated look. The furniture was all dark wood in the room. There was even a study nook with books on a shelf next to it, his completed potions essay lying on the table. He groaned in his sleep and reminded her why she was there._

_Not wanting to touch him if she could help it, she used magic to remove his shoes and hesitantly transfigured his Quidditch uniform into plain flannel pajamas. She had no idea what he normally slept in, and wasn't particularly interested to find out, figuring that she had already gone above and beyond all expectations. _

_As she was turning around to leave, she decided that having a hangover potion ready for him would be a wise thing to do – sparing him the embarrassing trip to the infirmary, and the likely detention that would follow. Not that she was feeling generous at all at the moment. Professor McGonagall had made it perfectly clear at the beginning that if one of them got detention for something that the other could have easily prevented, they would both have to endure detention. Hermione had felt that the rule was horrid then and she felt so now. But rules were rules. She summoned Kreacher and had him bring over a hangover potion from Grimmauld Place. _

_Feeling satisfied, she turned around and left; relieved that the ordeal was over._

* * *

_Presently,_

Hermione couldn't quite decide whether she should let him fall around in an attempt to get to bed or help him. While the mulled over the very important question, Malfoy fell again on the floor with a groan. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Malfoy was mumbling something.

"Sorry?"

"Want. To. Sleep."

She dimmed the light and levitated him to the bed. As she lay him down and transfigured his clothes into a shirt and flannel pants, she heard him mumble again.

This time she leaned a little to listen.

* * *

**Apologies for the delay. My laptop was messed up and then I had other stuff and blah. Life sucked basically. It still does. But I just realized that channeling my frustration of life into writing. I hope you guys liked this chapter. This is the longest chapter I've written yet.**

**Let me know! **


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: All Recognizable characters belong to J. K. R. Rest all belongs to me!**

* * *

One Chance is all it takes

_Malfoy Manor,_

The French windows were really not helping right now. Morning found Draco lying on his stomach with his face buried in his pillow, groaning at the light trickling into the room. There was an idiot bird chirping away, sitting on a branch of the three outside their window, signaling the changing season. On another occasion, perhaps a more _drunken_ occasion, Malfoy would have contemplated the fluidity of life and the like. Today, he wanted to kill that bird. Another chirp and he reached towards his nightstand, hand searching for his wand. Not there. His other hand reached under the pillow; not there either. Where the fuck did-?

"Morning Malfoy!" came a call from somewhere behind him. Oh he knew that voice. Not NOW, please please please not now. He shut his eyes and lay still in his odd position of arms flailing around in the hopes that _she_ would leave. DAMN THAT BIRD.

"I know you're awake. Get up, come on," she said, setting something down on a hard surface _very loudly_. He winced and blinked. Everything seemed to be in twos and blurred. _Just how much did he have last night? When was the last time he had been THIS drunk?_

"Come on, up," he heard, feeling her cold hands on his shoulders, helping him sit up. Complying with her for once, he sat up and kept his eyes closed, trying to swallow some saliva to wet his throat. Vaguely, he realized that the bird had stopped. He opened his eyes. Her wretched cat sat at his feet, looking at him with that stupid all-knowing look.

"Here, swallow," she said from his left, and a hand holding a vial appeared in his peripheral vision. He didn't move. She huffed, held a hand at his chin, tipped it back and emptied the bottle into his throat. He coughed and swore, looking at her for the first time today.

"Stop being a baby, will you?" she said, looking at him with an amused expression. He scowled at her, feeling his headache dissipate. Thank Merlin for magic.

"Here, have your breakfast. And your wand fell off the nightstand…. There it is! I have to meet your mother downstairs right away for some reason, Paulie wanted me to inform you about some meetings you have today. You should call her," she prattled off, walking into the bathroom. Draco watched her go, thoroughly confused at the current events. Granger was talking to him. Voluntarily.

"What happened exactly last night?" he managed to choke out. She paused for a second, before grinning.

"You returned home completely sloshed. I put you to bed," she said, obviously amused by something. Draco narrowed his eyes. She wasn't telling him something. And this was the first time he had heard her call the Manor _home_.

"I didn't say anything, did I?" he asked, watching her tinker about in their room. Her shoulders stiffened only slightly, and unfortunately for her, that didn't escape his attention. "No. Just a load of gibberish," she said, not looking at him.

"If you can't even look at me while talking to me Granger, I suggest you try again. You really can't lie to save your life, can you?" he drawled. She huffed, which amused him to no end. _Predictable_.

"I'm late to meet your mother. You can get off of the bed without assistance, right?" she snapped. _There is the Granger I know._

"I'm sure I can manage," he said, watching her turn to leave. As she reached the door, she heard him.

"Thank you."

The guilt on her face set in and for once she didn't pause or turn around; she couldn't let him see her like this.

Draco turned and stunned that bird as soon as she left. _Ah, sweet revenge._

* * *

_Ron's Apartment,_

Astoria had been nicer to Ron since her 'incident'. They had been getting along well since that day. He had replaced her wand the next morning, and she had applied for a full time job at the gossip section of Luna's paper, much to Ron's surprise.

Currently, they were making brunch. It was the day off for Ron's elf (rights granted courtesy Hermione, of course), which earlier meant Astoria eating out and Ron going to the Burrow to eat. Things had changed in a span of a fortnight. Currently, Astoria was slicing some vegetables while Ron checked on the chicken.

Ron was still not sure about her, and the Auror in him still suspected that she was up to something. She hadn't done anything to tick him off in anyway, so he gave her the benefit of the doubt. What else could he do? Scream at her for trying?

"Would you like some juice?" she asked suddenly, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. He nodded at her smiling face and watched as she went to fetch some.

A little later, they sat at the small round dining table, eating. Astoria was talking about something, which he wasn't paying complete attention to. The entire time he seemed very enamored by her eyes while she spoke for some reason. They were a nice shade of auburn, he decided. She suddenly laughed at something, which startled him.

"What?"

"You have something on your face," she said, pointing to his chin. He tried cleaning it rather unsuccessfully, which caused her to laugh even more.

"Here, let me," she said leaning over the table to wipe it for him. The entire time he watched her do it, noticing the freckle on her nose. _You sound like a fool, Weasley._

"There, all done," she said, wiping her fingers on the cloth, moving to sit back down. When asked later, Ron would not be able to pinpoint what possessed him to do it. He would probably say something like _her freckle_. But at the moment, his train of thought made perfect sense to him. He moved to grab her cheek, pausing her descent to her seat. She looked at him with searching eyes, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. Before his mind had a chance to second guess, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

* * *

_Malfoy Manor,_

Hermione was having a difficult time today. She normally spent Saturdays with Ginny or Luna, but they both were busy. She thought about meeting her grandmother today, but she still did not know what to say to her. Before confronting the very real possibility of her entire life changing, she wanted facts in her hands and she had nothing apart from what her grandmother and Percy had told her. So Gran would have to wait for now.

Unfortunately, that meant she had to spend the day with Narcissa, who had told her at dinner last night that they would be learning the ways of a Malfoy. Wonderful.

She entered Narcissa's parlor as she sat finishing her breakfast. Lucius was nowhere to be seen. Hermione smiled at her as she sat down. Narcissa dabbed her lips gently with her handkerchief before Misty collected the utensils.

"How is my son today?" she asked. Hermione mumbled a 'good'. _Why was he invading her thoughts?_ Narcissa raised an eyebrow at her response but said nothing.

"We will talking about your social obligations as a Malfoy today. I am to believe that you have refused the monthly allowance?" she asked.

"I am not going to be a kept woman. I make enough to sustain myself, and I do not need any more," Hermione defended. Narcissa sighed inwardly. No wonder her son was so stressed.

"The purpose of that money is not to keep you from anything, and you certainly are not our charity case. As you will find in due course of your time in our family, there are certain obligations that you will have to fulfill as a Mistress of this Manor. The fulfillment of these requires money. You don't need to keep the money if you don't want to; I think Draco thought the money to be a gesture of goodwill from our side. But, no matter," she said. Hermione bristled at her tone. This day just wasn't going her way. She could feel her guilt creeping up again. _When had she become the villain here?_

"Parties are a very important part of that obligation. The Annual Malfoy Christmas Party is famous, as are the birthdays and anniversaries that we have. These soirées serve as a primary place of networking and creating connections. Connections are what get us ahead in this day and age. They also aid our family business, so it is our job as the women of this house to ensure that our men are given the apt environment to do so."

While what Narcissa said grated her feminine nerves, Hermione had no choice but to answer to the bookworm in her that called on her to write. She summoned a notebook to write down what her future mother in law said.

* * *

_Luna's Apartment,_

Luna rolled her shoulders as she sat going through some paperwork for The Quibbler. Between all her office work and the turmoil in her personal life, she was not getting a lot of sleep. She had been able to labor through initially with copious amounts of Pepper Up potion, but that was taking a toll on her in the worst way possible.

Her wards rang, signaling the arrival of Blaise. She groaned, regretting getting talked into by Giovanna into accommodating Blaise into her life and apartment. The old lady had looked so hopeful and Luna had just melted in her gaze. _Damn her._

Blaise walked around her apartment, opening her fridge to get some sparkling water which he had started sneaking into her fridge after they started to meet semi-regularly. He knew Luna was home, since her wards did not let him enter when she wasn't. He actually enjoyed coming here. Her apartment had the most incredible view of London, overlooking the Thames and Big Ben. Even better was the fact that it was a Wizards apartment building, which meant that he didn't have to worry about accidentally doing magic in front of Muggles. He strolled into her study to find her sitting with her head on her desk. Her eyes were closed. He paused for a second, before clearing his throat.

"What do you want? I am busy," she said, not moving.

"Clearly. Is that desk your next big story?" he said, leaning on the doorframe, taking a sip.

"I have a lot to do, so if you have something to say, say it."

Blaise looked at her as she sat back on her seat. Her table and seat faced the window which overlooked the city, and from where he stood, he could see her side. She looked terrible. Her posture was hunched over, like her body was in physical pain just sitting on that chair. She hadn't even bothered changing out of her home clothes. Today was the first time he had seen her dressed so casually. Her head bobbed slightly, which caught his eye almost immediately, She was fighting the urge to sleep and he knew the signs of Pepper Up overuse. He had been after all, a generous user himself on occasion.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"What is it to you?" she snapped, looking at him for the first time at that moment. He was taken aback at the look she gave him, but decided that there were better things that required his focus.

"You look like you are about to drop dead any moment."

She got up to go to the bathroom. He followed to find her reaching into her cabinets to take out another potion. Before she would uncork the lid, he snatched the vial from her hand and put it away. She turned around in irritation, only to find him standing much closer than she had anticipated. Their height difference became very apparent; she was standing barefoot, looking at his neck curve into his shoulder. He stepped back and looked at her.

"You need some sleep. You will develop an addiction to Pepper Up if you continue at this rate."

"I just have a lot on my mind. There is a lot to be done for the newspaper as well," she said quietly, looking anywhere but his face.

"You need to sleep," he repeated. "I will handle the work you have for your issue. You should go and lie down. Come on," he said, taking her hand and leading her to her bedroom. Luna was far too tired to argue with him.

He sat her down on her bed. She sat there while he summoned her wand and set it on her night stand. She struggled to stay awake while he magically drew her blinds and the room grew dark. He set a glass of water down on her night stand. As she started to doze off, he drew back her duvet and moved her till she was lying down, tucked into bed.

"Contact Dean for the work," she mumbled as sleep took over.

Blaise stood there and watched. She looked so much more peaceful when asleep. As he walked out of her room, he disconnected her phones. She needed this sleep.

* * *

_Malfoy Manor,_

_Later,_

Draco now knew what had happened last night. Mostly. He had been aided by Greg and Tea Cup, who had heard the noise and popped to check on the disturbance. What he could not figure out was what he had said to Hermione which was causing her act like that. He hadn't seen her all day. She was busy with his mother and he knew better than to disturb.

She had seemed almost guilty when they had talked in the morning. It was almost tea time now, and he had spent the day doing random things to keep himself occupied. He had had two Floo-meetings, but now he was bored.

While he contemplated asking Theo for dinner, Hermione walked in looking annoyed. He was expecting that from her, having been informed by Tea Cup that Narcissa was teaching Hermione how to walk _properly_.

She set her notebook down on the bed as she went into the bathroom, not looking at him once. Before he could say anything, she came out wearing the shirt he had loaned her weeks before when she had been drunk. He raised an eyebrow at that. She looked towards him, expecting that from him.

"This is the only thing that covers me properly. So don't you say a thing."

"I wasn't going to. What I _was_ going to say is that it is only 3 in the afternoon. Care to explain you attire?"

"No, I do _not_. I have had enough of etiquette lessons to last me a month. I don't feel like a person anymore and I don't want to think _fancy_."

He looked amused. Of course he did. He probably had to deal with these lessons when he was much younger.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Just deciding how long it will take you to crack under my mother's watchful eye."

"Shut up." She lay down on her back on their bed, over the covers. He moved from the sofas and lay next to her, not quite touching her.

"Are you going to tell me what happened last night that has you so nervous around me?" he asked, till looking at the roof of their bed. He felt the bed shift.

"Not really," she said.

"Come on Granger, what did I say?"

"Nothing."

"You and I both know that you are shit at lying."

"Oh shut up."

"What? It is true."

"I am a very good liar."

"Liar." A smile threatened her carefully blank face.

"If you don't tell me, I will just look through your head." She looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"Do that, and you will find yourself at the mercy of my impressive knowledge of spells and magic."

"I think I might just die of your inhuman level of modesty before then. I might have to call Potter for help." She couldn't help it; she smiled. This was the first time they had talked civilly. She was privately very proud for not giving away her turmoil.

Misty apparated into the room just then to announce tea. Hermione groaned. Draco sat up to lean on his elbows, telling Misty to express their regret to his parents and to tell them that they would not be coming for tea. Hermione looked at him, looking relieved. He lay back down on the bed, his arms tucked under his head.

"I feel like sleeping."

"Why don't you? I can leave to it, if you like," he said, getting up to go. A hand on his shoulder stopped him as he turned to look at her looking at him nervously.

"Would you mind staying? While I napped? Please?"

His mind screamed obscenities at his conscience. The 12 year old self that lived in the corner of his head called him a pansy. Yet somehow, he found that he couldn't say no to her.

Ignoring Hermione's hurt look, he sat up to remove his shoes and transfigure his clothes into more comfortable ones. He heard her discrete sigh of relief as he moved the duvet and told her to move under it. She snuggled in as he slid in. To his surprise, she turned and lay facing him as he did her. He watched as she closed her eyes and drifted into sleep, smiling slightly.

As she fell asleep, the words that he had said last night echoed in her head, as they had all day.

_I just wish you would give me one chance_.

* * *

**Yes, I am in fact, alive. Surprise!**

**What did you think? About Ron/Astoria and Blaise/Luna? I'm contemplating chucking their respective stories into separate fictions, and keeping only the relevant parts here. Do you want me to? If I do that though, their stories will be posted _after_ this one is done. So, bear that in mind.**

**On a scale of 1-10 (10 being murderous hatred), how much do you hate me right now?**

* * *

**Side note: I am having a competition for the banner (thumbnail on FF) for my story. The current one has been supplied by the ever lovely **HisLittleRedBird**,**** and I love it and am grateful to HLRB for it. But I think it is time for a change. To those of you interested in entering, let me know in the comments and I will supply my email ID to you. The Winner will get his/her name featured in my next chapter and a preview of the next two chapters before it comes out.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J. K. R. **

* * *

A Confusing Day

_Malfoy Manor,_

She felt comfortable. In fact, she felt very comfortable. She couldn't recall the last time she had woken up in the morning and liked lying in bed so much that she had just lain there and not moved. Wait, _why_ was she so cozy? The bed at the Manor was (obviously) luxurious. What could have been added on to that to make this even better?

Hermione cracked open her eye lid. It was dark around. _Strange_, she thought, _Could it be dark because it is raining outside_? She strained her ears to listen, She couldn't _hear_ any rain outside. As she woke up more, she could feel someone breathing on her neck. Every breathe on the curve of her neck was giving her the tickles. Now that she thought about it, she could even feel something heavy on her side and midriff. Wait a minute…

She turned her head slightly, only to find Draco's head _right there_. Her eyes widened. She used her free hand to grab her wand and check the time. 7:35PM. They had 'napped' for four hours?! And they had spooned too. What a way to end a day. Cringe, with a large side of Awkward.

Now that she had snapped out of her stupid zone of false comfort, his arm was suffocating her. She tried to move it, but he tightened his hold even more. _Even when asleep he manages to do the exact opposite of what I want him to do_.

A lot of careful tugging and nudging later, she managed to get out from under his arm. She ran to the bathroom and closed the door as quietly as she could, thanking the Gods above that Draco remained asleep through all that.

A pair of stormy grey eyes watched her go.

Draco had woken up a little while before Hermione had. Like her, he too had found himself feeling quite comfortable. The whole spooning thing had thrown him off, and frankly, he could have made a huge deal about it just to annoy her, but a part of him wanted to see her reaction to this. So he had stayed the way he had woken up (while vehemently trying to clamp down any feeling of comfort), just to watch her wake up.

He fought the urge to laugh at her attempts of trying to get out of bed, and nearly gave up all that effort when he heard something that vaguely sounded like her accusing him of ticking her off in his sleep. _Yes Granger, it is a talent._

Well, this turned out to be a fun turn of events.

As Hermione struggled to gather her thoughts (screw you, you hormones!), she didn't notice a Patronus fly in and yelped when she heard Ginny's voice.

_Party at Blasé Alley instead of dinner at the Burrow. Be there._

The invite didn't specify that Malfoy had to be there, and she really could use some time away from this family of blondes. Shaking away any remnants of sleep, she grudgingly began to dress for a night out.

* * *

_Luna's Apartment_,

Luna woke up with a start. A glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand served to confuse her even more. Her room was still dark. Why was the watch saying 7PM? Was it broken? What had woke her up in the first place?

A loud bang sounded in the hallway, followed by a string of cursing in a language she didn't understand. It seemed that someone had dropped a pan in the kitchen. But who?

Luna didn't remember going to sleep. In fact, her memory of the last five days was a bit foggy. She remembered sleeping on Friday for a total of two hours and waking up thinking about all the work she had to get done on the weekend. And then… nothing.

The sound of something else dropping snapped her out of her thoughts and she grabbed her wand, getting up to investigate. Mentally, she revised the list of people her wards would let through as her fighting instincts kicked in. She did after all, belong to a generation of people who had fought a War, not so long ago.

As she walked closer to the kitchen, she could smell something _heavenly_. Oh my, _what was that smell?_ It was messing with her concentration. She suddenly realized how hungry she was. When was the last time she had had a proper meal? She remembered ducking into a Prêt in the nearby muggle neighborhood for a sandwich. That was probably on Tuesday. Had she not eaten at all? No, that wasn't possible.

"Morning, sleepy head. Or should I say, Evening?"

She snapped out of her hunger and looked at Blaise in confusion. She must have looked like a sight, dressed in her dream-catcher pajamas, with bed head and drool on her face with a wand drawn. Blaise certainly noticed, and it amused him to no end. He didn't even bother hiding his amusement. Annoying git.

"You look hungry, Why don't you go wash your face, wake up a bit more and join me in the kitchen? I made some pasta. I figured you would be hungry," he said, moving around her kitchen, setting plates on the little table in the centre.

It took her a full minute to register what was happening in front of her. She vaguely recalled Blaise turning up at her apartment earlier now. And she was _starving_. Damn him and his Italian genes.

Blaise watched her walk away as he looked for wine glasses. She didn't seem to have any. Which self respecting woman in her 20s did not have wine glasses? This wouldn't do. He owned vineyards. Wine was his hobby and passion. How could he marry a woman who didn't even have wine glasses? Or heaven forbid, didn't know the difference between Chianti and Chardonnay? Oh Merlin. Luna had a lot to learn before he could make her Mrs. Zabini.

He added the pasta into the sauce and checked on the bread in the oven. He found some pieces of glass he assumed were useless show pieces and turned them into wine glasses. A quick call to his house elf later, the table was set.

Luna walked in to find Blaise sitting on the centre table with a glass of wine in his hand. She frowned; she didn't own wine glasses or wine. In fact, she thought the particular spirit to be elitist and never understood its allure. _Of course. He's Italian._

"What is all this?" she asked, feeling a little weird having dinner with him in her pajamas.

"It is pasta in marinara sauce with bread and a glass of Chianti. I figured you would be hungry after your nap and whipped up something simple," he said, signaling her to sit down.

"If this is simple in your book, I am not sure I am ready for elaborate," she commented. Blaise gave her a _look_ and proceeded to lift the lid of the pasta dish. All her sass evaporated when her nostrils were assaulted with that smell.

She ate almost feverishly for ten solid minutes before she remembered that she wasn't alone. She looked up to meet his eyes, swallowing slowly as her brain registered embarrassment.

"I proof read the editorial for tomorrow and had it sent for printing. The draft advert of Madam Malkin have arrived. The printer said that he will give you a discount if you find a way to cheaply source the ink. I took the liberty to compile a list of sources of cheap ink. That's on your table too. And Dean told me to tell you that the piece on the Ministry will have to be delayed because Percy declined to comment again."

She looked at him speechless. Blaise looked at her casually, having listed out all of her work like he was reading out the daily specials at a diner. He had finished all of her work in a few hours! Why had she thought that it was too much?

"Here, try this. It will taste good," he said, offering her a glass of wine. She shook her head.

"I don't really enjoy wine much."

"Trust me." She took the glass and had a sip. It actually tasted a lot better than she remembered wine ever tasting.

She was about to make a comment when a patronus appeared. She recognized it as Ginny's.

_Party at Blasé Alley instead of dinner at the Burrow. Be there._

It didn't specify if Blaise was invited. Ginny wouldn't have known that they were spending time anyway. She looked at Blaise again to find him watching her. He _had _just cooked her a meal and finished off all her work for her while she caught up on much needed sleep. She didn't need to like him in general to invite him, right? And today he _had_ helped her a great deal.

"Would you like to come with?"

* * *

_Malfoy Manor,_

Draco had heard the Patronus come in. Right now, he could hear the shower. He lay in bed, a hand tucked behind his head. Waiting for _something_ to happen. He heard the shower turn off and decided he had had enough. Most Manor doors opened automatically at the touch of a Malfoy; this was something Granger was unaware of. He honestly forgot about it sometimes himself too. Ah, well. He got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. He grinned without looking at the squeal he heard.

"_How did you get in?"_

He stood in front of his sink and saw Granger in the mirror, looking flushed. She was wearing her gown. Shame.

"You should know better than to not lock doors, Granger."

"What do you want, you pervert?" she ground out, walking to her closet. He raised an eyebrow at her tone.

"Can't a man wash himself in peace in his own bathroom without being interrogated?"

"He certainly can_not_ if he is a pervert, pervert," she called from inside.

"You really are unoriginal for someone who is supposed to be smart. And get over yourself, Granger. As if I would look at you in _that_ way." He could hear her huff and grinned. It really was so much fun riling her up.

"And you have no sense of personal space or boundaries, Malfoy," she said, walking out of the closet. The lack of reply from where she had assumed he was standing caused her to look up from strapping on her thong sandals. He was looking at her, and his poker face was up.

He had watched her walk out wearing a white crop top and a black skater skirt with a red leather jacket. Her wild hair had been pulled back into a high ponytail. _Why did she have to look like that_?

She mistook his silence for anger. _I just wish you would give me one chance_. Guilt flooded her again. She stood up and tried her level best to school her expression. He was looking confused now. Oh dear.

"Ginny just let me know that they are partying at Blasé Alley instead of having dinner at home. I would have asked you, but I wasn't sure if any of your friends had been invited and she didn't specify if you were so I didn't ask you. I'm sorry for assuming. Would you like to come with? I'll wait, I promise," she rambled in a rush, finishing her piece and staring at the ceiling, feeling mortified.

Draco couldn't for the life of him understand why she looked guilty. He had been sure that she would catch him checking her out and make a huge deal about it. Instead, she did the last thing he was expecting. Clearly, he was still missing a piece from last night. Damn it, he hated not knowing. _Note to self: DON'T come home when sloshed_.

"Yeah, okay, Give me a minute. You should probably inform my parents though." She looked relieved as she turned to exit.

Draco watched her go.

* * *

_Elsewhere in the Manor,_

Narcissa and Lucius had had their dinner and had retired to their Parlor. Their son and future daughter in law had not joined them for tea or dinner and they were anxious.

"You don't think that they are…?" asked Narcissa, looking at the time and at the door, worried.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if they are. They are both very passionate people and there is a thin line between love and hate," replied Lucius, from behind the evening edition of the Prophet.

"Oh hush, Lucius. Hermione is not the type of girl to do such a thing," admonished his wife. He looked up from his paper to look at her.

"But you forget, our son is," he grinned.

"This is really not the conversation I am comfortable in having," she replied, her posture turning defensive as she placed her hands on her lap primly.

Before Lucius had the opportunity of laughing at her sudden prudish behavior, Hermione walked into the room. Narcissa smiled instantly and Lucius disappeared behind his paper.

"Good evening," she greeted, sitting down across Narcissa.

"Oh dear, where have you two been?" asked Narcissa, her face concerned. She heard her husband cough and mentally checked her emotions.

"We were tired. It has been a long week. We fell asleep and woke up much later than we intended to. Sorry about missing dinner," said Hermione.

"Are you heading out right now?" asked Narcissa, taking in Hermione's attire.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, some of us are going out to Blasé Alley tonight. We just wanted to let you know that we'll be out late," replied Hermione, feeling uncomfortable in Narcissa's scrutinizing glare.

"Are you sure you want to be wearing that? You are going to a Wizard Alley, after all," commented Narcissa. Before Hermione had a chance to say anything, in walked Draco.

He too had gone with the muggle theme, it seemed, with a pair of black jeans, white shirt and black leather jacket. Hermione had not been this happy to see him in a while. Narcissa saw her face brighten at the sight of him and wondered. _Are they…?_

"There you are! Come on, we have to get going," he said, bending down to kiss his mother goodbye on her cheek and helping Hermione up. They then apparated away together. Lucius put down his paper right then.

"Oh, I am pretty sure they are."

* * *

**If there are any grammatical errors, feel free to let me know. **


End file.
